In The Dark
by The TurquoiseCow
Summary: SEQUEL to the Reign of Courage and the Dark Bandit. An evil threatens the kingdom of Yagami this time it's one of their own...how will the Chosen react? [Chapter 24 added the last: Go Gently...]
1. Visible Evil

In The Dark

Part One: Visible Evil

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Digimon is mine! Yes! Mine! ::cough:: Er, actually, it's not, it belongs to some people in Japan. But this plot is mine, and it uses the characters and some plot points from the original. I don't have permission to use them, and I'm not giving them back. So there. 

***

Yamato leaned back in the carriage and rested his feet on the opposite seat. "Nice day for a ride," he commented leisurely, letting his eyelids droop. The weather was typical of early fall – cold, yet still warm enough on occasion to be comfortable or even hot. 

"It is," Gabumon agreed, napping in the seat beside him. "I'm glad we decided to come this way." 

Truth was, although they were on pretense of a vacation, Yamato was on official business. Recently, there had been reports from the Primary Village of increased refugees from somewhere outside the eastern border of the kingdom. Yamato had been hanging around complaining of boredom when one of the reports came in, and his friend and King, Taichi, had suggested that he investigate. 

The quick stop at Primary Village had yielded little information. Most of the refugees were digimon, and they all were mumbling something about a Kaiser. All were weak, and some in serious need of medical assistance. After sending a healthier and swift Piyomon back to the palace with the information and request for doctors, Yamato and his partner had decided to head east, to the source of the problem. 

Now, a half-day's ride from the village and a short way from the border, Yamato was enjoying the cool air and taking the time to nap. It was nearly dark now, and he knew that he'd have to stop and camp soon, but was in no hurry. 

"Crossing the border now, sir," the driver of the carriage called from above him, halting their progress as he spoke. "Do you want to make camp here?" 

Yamato stepped from the carriage, frowning as he surveyed his situation. "Maybe," he said, thinking aloud. He looked around at the scenery. 

There were few residents in this area of Yagami. The nearest village was a good hour's walk away, and this it mostly forest, occupied by wild, usually peaceful resident digimon. _'Who would want to attack peaceful wild digimon?'_ he wondered as he took a few steps from the carriage and stretched his arms. 

He scanned the area, but all he could see was trees. A short distance away from the carriage was a hill which appeared to rise above the tree line. "I think I'll go see what I can see from there," he announced. "Wait here." 

The carriage driver nodded, climbing down from the carriage and rummaging in the bag he carried for a piece of fruit to feed the Monochromon that pulled the vehicle. His partner, a small, quiet Plotmon, followed him. 

Gabumon followed Yamato to the top of the hill. Once there, they found that they did, indeed, have a fairly good view of the surrounding area. For quite some distance, they could see trees extending. In the distance, he thought he saw the strange trick of the light that showed the careful observer where the hidden Primary Village was. Another village was nearby, and he found that if he squinted he could _almost _make out the castle –but not really.

When they turned in the opposite direction, neither could see anything. All that was visible from the hill were the vast reaches of trees. It was unknown what sorts of strange digimon lurked within those lands, and if there were any people left, they'd had little contact with the rest of the world. Yamato frowned slightly. He wasn't looking forward to treading through those lands in search of some sort of Kaiser. 

"What's that?" Gabumon questioned, his voice breaking through the young man's reverie. He pointed a claw to the south east. 

"I don't know," Yamato admitted. "It looks like some sort of tower – but it's completely black. How did they make it that color?" 

"Magic, maybe?" the digimon theorized. "It would have to be dark magic to make it black, though. And what would it be used for?" 

"Maybe it's a religious thing," he proposed, shrugging slightly. "Hey – wait, I see another one." 

"There's definitely _something_ in those forests that's building those dark towers," Gabumon stated. "But what?" 

"I'm guessing we'll have to find out," Yamato decided. "We're only a short way from the border." 

They made their way down the hill back to the carriage. "See anything?" the driver asked. 

"Yeah, and it disturbed me," he replied, climbing back into the carriage. "Let's keep moving."

*** 

The small green digimon scuttled along the floor nervously. Oh, his master was _not_ going to like this. Not at all. Then again, he rarely liked anything anymore. 

"Master?" he questioned. He would have crossed his fingers if he had any – or if he thought it would help. 

"If you have bad news for me, just get it over with," the Kaiser demanded. He was hunched over a book, totally absorbed in what he was reading. 

"Yes, Master. There's been a human sighted at the western border." Cringing, he braced himself for the explosion he sensed coming. 

"A human?" Surprisingly, his voice was calm. Deceptively calm, his servant supposed. "Well, I'll just have to pay him a visit, then." Chuckling to himself, he rose and left the room. 

Wormmon sighed and shook his head slightly as he watched his partner leave. 

***

The carriage ground sharply to a halt and Yamato fell off his seat. Scrambling to his feet again, he flung open the door and fell to the ground. "What's going on?" 

"Sorry sir," the driver apologized. "Those Airdramon scared the Monochromon." 

"Airdramon?" Gabumon echoed from the door of the carriage. "I thought we were through with those." 

"Oh no," a voice called from above. "We're just beginning." 

Yamato scrambled to his feet. One of the Airdramon flew close to the ground and hovered. It was apparently controlled by the figure riding on its head, an impressive – looking young human who glared at him through tinted spectacles. 

The figure was dressed in mostly traditional dress for the time, but a cape was wrapped around his shoulders. Yamato, not possessing magic, could see something strange about it, but was uncertain of what it was. The tinted spectacles barred any observers from identifying him, and he was topped with a wild mop of dark hair that would have rivaled Taichi's. 

"Who are you?" Yamato asked, bluntly forgetting his manners – as is common when taken by surprise. 

"_You_ can refer to me as the Digimon Kaiser," the figure replied. "And humans are _not_ allowed on my land. Especially those that _claim_ to be _Chosen_." He spat the last words out like an insult. 

"And what will you do about it?" Yamato challenged. 

"Simply have you removed, of course," the Kaiser responded with a wave of his hand. Suddenly, the trees around the clearing they were in parted. 

Yamato looked around him and found he was surrounded by a group of giant, ferocious Tyrannomon. There were six all together, and they were all staring at him with red, glowing eyes from every angle. "I haven't done anything!" he protested. "Can't we talk about this or something?"

"You're trespassing on my land," his foe responded. "Finish him!" 

"Let's get out of here!" Yamato decided, dodging between the legs of the nearest Tyrannomon. 

"Gabumon evolve!" The bright light filled the area, but something was different, Yamato could sense it. "Gabumon?" The blue and white digimon looked confused. "I can't evolve!" 

"What? How is that possible?" Yamato demanded. 

His only answer was some sort of maniacal laughter from behind him. Having no choice but to run, he pumped his legs as hard as he could. A moment later, he heard a rumbling sound as the carriage, Monochromon, driver, Plotmon, and all, came barreling past him at top speed. 

Yamato blinked, startled. He'd been unaware that Monochromon were _capable_ of running at such a speed. Thinking quickly, he gripped his partner's paw and jumped on to the back of the cart. 

Thankfully, Tyrannomon were possibly _slower_ moving than Monochromon – especially one that has been spooked – so they were quickly left behind. "We're not going to get away that easily," Yamato muttered under his breath. He climbed to the top of the cart – a task that was not as hard as one might have thought because the Monochromon lacked stamina and was already slowing. 

"We need to ditch this carriage – and fast. Then we need to hide. I don't think this guy's going to give up on us that easily," he explained to the driver. 

"Especially since we're heading deeper into his territory," the driver added with a frown. Yamato groaned. A few moments later, they had stopped the carriage, disconnected the Monochromon, and were doing their bests to drag the giant creature into the bushes. It was immensely stubborn, however. 

"I hate to say this, but I think we should just leave him," Yamato sighed. 

"That seems like a good idea," Gabumon agreed with a panicked expression. The Tyrannomon appeared above them. 

"Hide!" Yamato shouted, quickly diving into the brush. 

***

Miyako was meditating. Seated on the grass, she breathed in the fresh smell of the lawn and felt herself grow calm. There was a chill in the air, now. Summer was over, and the cold weather was beginning to come into the area. 

"Good. Concentrate," Koushiro coached. He was busy peering through a book at the same time, seated a few feet from her. "You need to be consciously aware of your aura at all times or it can go out of control." 

The girl nodded, feeling the wind blow past her. The multi-colored aura expanded as she focused on breathing outward, and then contracted as she inhaled. She could see it, even with her eyes closed. 

Over the last three months, Miyako had been perfecting the use of her magic. At sixteen years of age, she was late to discover that she possessed such talent, but Koushiro assured her that she was making great progress. 

Soft footsteps padded behind her in the grass, but the intruder didn't make a sound. Miyako decided that whoever it was most likely didn't have a reason for interrupting, so she continued focusing on her breathing. A moment later, Koushiro's voice broke into her thoughts. 

"Miyako, I'm going to go inside for a moment, all right? I'll be back. Just keep meditating." 

She nodded, not bothering to break her concentration, and heard Koushiro and the other person leave. Feeling peaceful, Miyako let her thoughts wander. Her sister, Momoe, was set to give birth in the next few weeks. Because of the medical care available at the palace from the physician, Jyou, she had decided to stay there and enjoy the vacation. Miyako couldn't wait until the baby was born, and looked forward to it. She'd volunteered to stay at the palace for the last few months to stay with her sister while their parents returned home. 

She was about to move on to more peaceful thoughts when the sound of footsteps running hurriedly towards her broke her concentration. "Miyako?" a voice asked. "You're needed inside." 

Miyako opened her eyes and saw Iori standing before her. The youngest of the Chosen, Iori served his time as a chief palace advisor and was often sent on minor errands such as bringing news. She stood up, sensing the earnest sound in his voice, and noticed that the aura around him had changed. 

As one who possessed magical powers, Miyako was aware that all people had an aura, even those without magic. She was learning to read the colors evident in these auras and discover what they meant. Right now, Iori's normally pale, calm, and peaceful green and golden-colored aura was filled with spots of brown and black – the colors of fear and a bit of anger. "What's wrong?" she wondered. 

"Official Chosen business," he replied vaguely. "No details yet."

The twelve Chosen were not all in residence at the castle at that moment, Miyako remembered, but those that were there were expected to attend. That included herself, Iori, Sora, Jyou, Koushiro, Hikari, and Taichi. 

"Sounds serious," Miyako noted as she followed him back to the palace. Her partner, Hawkmon, met her near the door as they entered.

The meeting was held in a small parlor room not far from the massive kitchen. Miyako had discovered that the kingdom's newest leader was very secretive about where he held meetings, especially with the Chosen, and so therefore he rarely used the massive Throne room. She and Iori were the last to arrive, slipping in the door and seating themselves on one of the numerous couches. 

Sora sat on a comfortable armchair to the left of the couch, speaking with her partner, Piyomon, and another Piyomon, who looked tired. Jyou was peering over the strange Piyomon and examining him while he talked to Sora and her partner. 

"Don't seem to be any serious injuries," the doctor noted. 

"I'm just tired," the Piyomon (whom Miyako assumed to be male because of his deep voice) replied. "It's all the others back at Primary Village who need the doctor." 

"I'll do what I can to send help," Jyou promised, standing up and taking a seat near Miyako. 

"What's going on?" Miyako wondered. 

The visiting Piyomon glanced up at Taichi momentarily, who nodded. "The lands to the East of Primary Village are reported to have been annexed by a human who calls himself a Kaiser." 

"The lands to the east?" Miyako repeated blankly. "What's to the east?" 

"Not much," Koushiro replied. "Mostly tribal groups, if anything. Two hundred years ago, they united briefly – long enough to sign a treaty with Yagami and form our borders. They're honored today, even though there's been no sign of activity from that land for quite some time." He was searching through one of his books as he spoke, and didn't bother to look up when she asked the question.

The visiting Piyomon nodded in agreement. "Various wild digimon, from what I can tell. None appear to have had much contact with humans, meaning that there are most likely none left in that land – or very few." 

"I sent Yamato to investigate reports of injured digimon appearing in the Primary Village. He sent Piyomon back with a message that he was going further – past the border into the territory," Taichi informed the group.

Piyomon nodded. "There are hundreds of digimon at Primary Village," he agreed. "Most are hurt, badly, and they all have horror stories to tell." 

"What sort of horror stories?" Hikari spoke up. 

"It's reported that the Kaiser keeps digimon as slaves for his own amusement, making them fight each other against their will," the pink bird explained, eyes narrowing in anger. "He's _got_ to be stopped." 

"Slaves?" the Princess repeated, surprised. "How horrible! Slavery was outlawed several hundred years ago, wasn't it?" 

"Three hundred and twenty four years ago, to be precise," Koushiro spoke up without pausing in his book searching. "Doesn't mean, however, that the law is followed." 

"It's not always," Iori agreed. He glanced towards Armadimon for a moment before continuing: "Near my grandfather's dojo in the northernmost reaches of the kingdom, there are people that have slaves. Human _and_ digimon. Not many of them, but some." His partner nodded in solemn agreement. 

Hikari looked astonished, but her partner Tailmon only grimly noted: "Some people think laws are to be _voluntarily_ obeyed," she noted cynically. 

Taichi looked bleak. "Some do," he agreed, with a sigh. "But the Kaiser appears to be only interested in digimon as slaves. And then uses them for his own amusement." 

Miyako shook her head slightly. "Horrible," she agreed. 

Koushiro shook his head slightly as he shut the book he'd been searching through. "Nothing in here about a Kaiser," he stated bleakly. "I'll have to do some amount of research." 

"Well, I guess we won't see Koushiro for a week or so," Jyou's partner, Gomamon stated. There were smiles and a few laughs, but it was true that the wizard tended to get wrapped up in studying and searching for books. 

Sora turned to the visiting digimon. "Rest here for the night and return in the morning," she advised. "You look exhausted."

Taichi agreed solemnly. "As soon as Yamato returns, we'll decide what to do. Maybe he'll find some sort of evidence, or be able to talk with this Kaiser person. In the meantime, Jyou, try to get together a contingent of doctors to volunteer to go to Primary Village first thing in the morning. Go with them if you want." 

"How many doctors?" Jyou questioned. 

"Take at least fifteen," the Piyomon advised. "And a fair amount of medics and nurses. Some of the injuries are serious, and some are minor. You'll need all the help you can get." 

"We'll have to make sure we're well stocked with herbs and medicines," Gomamon noted, and his partner agreed. 

"I'm sure I can round up a good amount," the doctor assured them. "When we get there, we'll try to send a better report of the injuries back home. Maybe we can get some more information from the injured."

***

Yamato peered out from behind the leaves of the bush he was hiding in. The Kaiser had arrived on one of the Airdramon, and he appeared to be fuming mad. 

"Stupid, stupid," he shouted at the Tyrannomon. "I don't know why I bother with you. Get lost!" Whimpering slightly, the red dinosaurs disappeared into the forest. The Kaiser peered at the Monochromon that had been abandoned. "At least I get a slave out of this. And with so _little_ effort." He grinned slightly, sending a shiver down the spine of those who watched from the cover of the bush. 

Yamato expected the Kaiser to produce some sort of collar, or to proceed to whip the Monochromon in the direction he wanted – the tool for which was fastened securely to his belt. But he merely twisted his right hand in a certain way and produced from nowhere a dark, ring-shaped item, which he tossed at the Monochromon. Amazingly (Yamato presumed due to some sort of magic), the ring attached itself around the neck of the massive creature. For a moment, all was the same, and he wondered what the ring was supposed to do. Then, it glowed slightly, markings on the side standing out for a moment. 

The Monochromon roared – either in pain or in anger, Yamato couldn't tell – and suddenly its eyes turned a vicious red color, glowing brightly in the dimming light. 

***

Miyako peered at the night sky through the window in the parlor she shared with Sora. Despite the late hour, she was unable to sleep. 

"What are you doing up?" her suitemate questioned sleepily from behind her. "Can't sleep?"

Miyako shook her head. "No. Worried about stuff," she replied. "You either?" 

Sora sighed and sat beside Miyako on the couch. "No," she admitted. "I slept for a bit and had some sort of a nightmare and woke up. Couldn't sleep after that." 

"What was the nightmare about?" Miyako wondered, conversationally. 

The older girl shook her head in confusion. "I don't remember," she confessed. "I just know it was scary." There was a moment of silence then. "Something interesting about the stars?" 

"Koushiro told me that some people can see things in the stars," Miyako explained. "The future, or something like that. I can't see anything though. Just stars." 

"I guess your magic doesn't lie in the future, then." There was silence for a few moments. "You're worried about something more aren't you?" 

"I suppose. Actually, I'm concerned about Hikari." 

"Hikari?" Sora was surprised. "Why?" 

"You saw her and Daisuke at the party, right?" Miyako asked. When the other girl nodded, she continued. "Since Ken's disappeared, Daisuke's been in a foul mood. He left last month without a word to her and didn't say anything about returning." She sighed. "She cares about him, you know, and I know he feels the same. I just hope this doesn't end up tearing them apart." 

Sighing, Sora agreed: "It would be sort of like Daisuke to do that," she noted with a frown. "But I don't think Hikari will give up on him that easily." 

Miyako shook her head. "She won't," she agreed. There was silence again before she said: "I just wish I had some sort of clue what happened to Ken. He was so…" she broke off and shuttered. "It was scary, Sora." Having nothing to say, the other girl reached out and hugged her.

***

It was quite dark, quite late, and most of the palace was asleep, including Hikari. She was fast asleep and in the middle of a nice, peaceful dream. Tailmon lay at the foot of the bed, curled up into a ball and snoring serenely. 

Hikari was dreaming of Daisuke. There was no clear storyline behind her dream, it was simply peaceful images and calm moments. There were fantasies of things she wanted to happen mixed with things that _probably_ would happen and things that _actually_ had happened. Speaking with him on the grounds, noting the way the sunlight fell on his face while at the same time engaging in conversation, remembering dancing with him at the party, the soft music in the background with all the guests watching them. Feeling so…right in some way. 

And then – then he'd left. Hadn't said anything to her. She dreamt of searching for him one morning and finding Miyako, who told her that he and his sister had left before the sunrise. The pain and confusion, wondering why he'd left, why he had gone so quickly, why he hadn't mentioned anything about leaving. She'd felt the loss deeply…the pain intruded on the previously peaceful dream, and Hikari moaned slightly and shifted in her sleep, shaking the bed enough to annoy Tailmon without waking her. 

And then, a horrific vision as the dream became much worse. Daisuke, eyes filled with pain, clutching at his arm, staring defiantly at an opponent she could not see. Hikari could see the blood dripping from a wound over his eye, and more blood from his nose, and she could hear someone laughing…an evil, sinister laugh that sent shivers down her spine. Then, he was gone, and Daisuke was lying on the ground, looking at her with the most – dreadful expression. So much pain…

Hikari sat up in bed, suddenly awake. "No!" she shouted, breathing heavily. Tailmon awoke and was instantly by her side. 

"What is it?" her partner questioned, but Hikari was too upset to be able to speak. Tailmon moved to the side of the bed and lit a candle, illuminating the room. "It's all right," she assured her. 

The door burst open, and Taichi, having a bedroom near his sister's, stood in the doorway, clutching a candle. "What happened?" he demanded. In the dim light he was able to make out his sister, who was apparently safe. 

"Bad dream, I think," Tailmon said. "Get some water." 

He nodded, used to taking orders from the small feline digimon, and disappeared. A moment later, he'd returned, cup of water in hand. He sat beside his sister. "Here, drink," he urged, and Hikari did so, breathing deeply. 

"I'm all right, Taichi," she said when she had regained her senses enough to stop shaking. "It was just a dream…just a dream, that's all." She repeated those words, trying to convince herself as much as her brother. 

She didn't sound very sure about it, that was for certain, he noted. "Tell me about it," he told her, gently but firmly. "It'll make you feel better." 

"It's nothing, really," she began, but the look in her brother's eyes told her that he wasn't falling for that statement. "It was just a dream." 

"A scary one that woke you up in the middle of the night screaming. Tell me what it was about," Taichi stated, half-ordering, half-pleading with his sister. 

Hikari sighed and drank the remainder of the water in the glass he'd brought. She set it on the table. "It wasn't really important," she said. "Silly, really. I was just – it was scary." 

"What did you see?" Tailmon asked gently, but curiously. 

She took a deep breath and peered at her hands. "Daisuke," she said, softly. 

"What about him?" Taichi asked, cautiously probing. A dream about Daisuke was most definitely not enough to wake his sister in the middle of the night. At least, not screaming. 

"He was…hurt. Badly," Hikari explained, still examining her hands. There was silence for a moment. "Taichi – it was so scary… I don't know what happened to him…I don't know why he left. What if I did something wrong? What if he's hurt right now, like in my dream?" She turned her head back to face her brother momentarily, but then turned away, sniffling slightly. 

Taichi and Tailmon exchanged glances momentarily. "I'm sure he's fine, Hikari," Taichi said. "It was just a dream. Not real. He'll probably have a really good explanation for it all when he gets back, you'll see." 

"He'd better," she replied, and now there was a touch of anger in her voice. "If anything happens to him…" Hikari clenched her fist tightly, but the ire didn't last. "I hope he's all right…"

***

Things start quickly! Am I feeling all right? Who knows…

The enemy is obvious, but how will the Chosen handle him? And how will the others react when they hear Yamato's story? Is Hikari's dream a prophetic foreshadowing device inserted by the author or is she just being paranoid and afraid? What will happen? 

Well, you'll find out eventually… I think. Thanks for reading! ^_^


	2. Invisible Evil

In The Dark

Part Two: Invisible Evil

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Digimon is not mine, the characters are not mine, the digimon are not mine. I am borrowing them for this story. The plot is mine. I will not give back the characters. I stole them. They're mine now, so deal with it!

***

The sun rose early over the Primary Village, and Yamato awoke with a stiff pain in his back from laying on the ground. He'd had a most un-refreshing sleep, and felt exhausted. Groaning, he sat up, stretched, and observed the landscape. Hundreds of digimon around him were sleeping on the ground, spaced out enough to not intrude on personal space. A few fires had been burning, lit by the fire-breathing types, but they'd all gone out during the night. Only the guardian Elecmon was awake, tending to the babies, who paid no attention to the visitor's need to sleep. 

Not long after breakfast, which was meager because his rations had been lost in the carriage beyond the border, Yamato was eager to get started back to the palace. He _wasn't_ eager to walk the whole way, but there didn't seem to be an available place to rent a carriage. He took as much supplies as he could manage to get from the digimon in the area, and set off with Gabumon towards the palace.  

They arrived mid-afternoon, exhausted, and reported to Iori that they'd arrived. Then, both were eager to take a long bath before explaining the details of their mission. After the soak and some dinner, they made their way to a spacious parlor and told their story to the remaining seven Chosen. 

"So the stories are true, then," Taichi frowned when they were finished. "The Kaiser _does_ enslave innocent digimon." 

"I can't understand why there is no mention of him in the books," Koushiro frowned, slamming his latest shut with a bang. 

"Maybe he wasn't supposed to happen?" Sora suggested. 

"No, nothing happens without a reason," Koushiro shook his head. He sighed. "I'll just have to keep looking." 

"What does this Kaiser look like?" Hikari questioned.

"About my height, I think," Yamato replied. "A lot of dark-colored hair, going in all directions. He wore very fancy clothes and a cape that I'd bet had some sort of magic in it. And tinted glasses. He rode the top of an Airdramon." 

"Airdramon?" Sora repeated. 

"Could he have been the one behind those other Airdramon attacks a few months ago?" Piyomon wondered. 

Jyou was frowning. He shook his head. "I doubt it. This Kaiser seems to dislike humans. He'd hardly send out others to do the work for him." 

"Besides, those Airdramon were _tamed_, not controlled," Hikari added. "There's a difference." 

Yamato nodded. "The Kaiser doesn't seem to be interested in taming. He just wants control." 

"You said you think there was magic on his cape?" Miyako recalled. "What made you think that?" Koushiro appeared interested in his response as well. 

 "I'm not sure," he admitted, frowning in thought. "There was just something strange about the way the sun reflected off of it. There wasn't much light, so maybe that was why…" He trailed off, shrugging.

"I think it's safe to assume he's some sort of wizard, right?" Hawkmon questioned. "After all, there must be some magic involved in controlling the digimon." 

"I'd agree," Miyako nodded. "If  the Kaiser himself doesn't possess magic, then someone working for him probably does." Koushiro nodded in agreement.

"The main question is, how do we defeat him if we cannot evolve?" Iori spoke up, steering the conversation in a more practical route. 

There was a moment of long silence then, and no one replied. "I'm not even sure how he managed to do that," Yamato sighed. 

"Maybe it had something to do with those dark towers we saw?" Gabumon proposed. 

"What dark towers?" Taichi asked, interested. 

"When we were about to cross the border, Gabumon and I climbed a hill to see what we could see up ahead. There wasn't much except trees, and every so often there was a tall, dark, tower poking up over the trees," Yamato explained. "We thought they might have some religious purpose, but I suppose they could be holding the magic preventing us from evolving." 

"_Is_ there such magic?" Agumon questioned. All eyes turned to Koushiro for his answer.

The wizard frowned. "Most likely. If there's no specific spell, I'm sure it could be easily written. I'm guessing it would be difficult, however, especially without the knowledge of de-evolution spells." 

"The ones which were discovered in the hidden vault beneath the palace," Tentomon agreed. 

"Yes, and if they did exist, spells blocking evolution would have been sealed with the knowledge of the first Chosen as well," his partner stated. 

"So if he has managed to do that, then we can assume he's a pretty decent wizard," Miyako mused. 

"Oh, beyond decent," Koushiro replied. "He'd have to have an incredible amount of magic power – not to mention intelligence – to figure out a spell that complicated on his own." He shook his head slightly. "My question is, why? If no one besides the Chosen can evolve their partners, why would the Kaiser _need_ such a spell." 

"He must know we exist then," Hikari said. "If he's working in connection with Demon, then he would know." 

Jyou agreed. "I'd say that most likely everything with bad intentions knows by now what we're capable of." 

"Not even the ones with bad intentions," Iori noted. "The people of the Kingdom know that we've defeated Devimon. And they know that it was possible through evolution. Naturally, they'll spread that word even outside the kingdom." 

Taichi nodded. "We're not a secret anymore. He _must _ know that he's going to fight us," he noted. There was a moment of silence then. "How _do_ we deal with him?"

"Might I propose a theory?" Armadimon stepped up in the silence afterwards. "The digimentals." 

"That's right!" Miyako recalled. "The armor evolutions with the digimentals are supposed to protect the digimon." 

"Maybe it protects from the magic as well," Iori agreed, nodding. 

"The only way we can be sure is to test it," Hawkmon noted. 

"There are only three of you with armor evolutions, though," Taichi pointed out. "How are three of you going to manage to defeat him?" 

"We've got to at least try," Miyako said. 

"In that case, someone's got to retrieve Daisuke," Yamato observed. 

Taichi nodded. "We'll send a message first thing in the morning. Have those doctors you sent left for the village yet, Jyou?" 

"Yes, they left first thing this morning," the doctor replied. "Fifteen doctors, twenty nurses, and another dozen or so medics and students."

"Perfect. First thing in the morning, you're heading out to join them." 

"Yeah! Field work!" Gomamon cheered, eager to be free of the stuffy castle. 

"What for?" Jyou wondered. 

"I have a feeling you'll be needed," Taichi replied vaguely. "Miyako, Iori, you'll need to be ready to leave, too. You're the best hope if something's going to be done against this guy." Miyako and Iori nodded in agreement. "The rest of us will help Koushiro." He grinned at the wizard. "Since he's always in need of assistance." 

"Terrific," Koushiro nodded. "I could use the help." 

"When are the others set to return?" Hikari questioned. 

"Takeru should be back in the next few days," Yamato stated. "Mother said she had some sort of function to attend next week, and he'll want to be long gone by then." 

"I think Mimi said that she'd be back soon, too," Jyou recalled. "But I'm not sure when. We should try sending her a message to tell her what's going on."

"And no one has _any_ idea what's happened to Ken," Miyako sighed forlornly. 

Taichi nodded. "Send out that message to Mimi," he agreed. "One to Daisuke, too. We can wait for Takeru, I think." 

"I'll deliver the message to Daisuke," Yamato volunteered, eager to get out of the castle again. "I want to get as far away from that Kaiser as possible." He shuddered at the thought. 

There were a few chuckles in response to that, but no one could disagree with him. 

***

There was a small brook that flowed through the countryside, and the carriage Yamato rode followed the road beside it. From inside the boxy cart, the blond young man watched as the water rambled over the rocks in the stream and then through the wheel of a mill with a water wheel in the stream. 

The small waterway that Yamato and Gabumon followed was a tributary that had broken off from a larger river. The river flowed into the village, and this stream traveled on to the large manor that overlooked the tiny village below. 

A messenger had been sent ahead to announce their arrival, but Yamato was still slightly surprised to find that Jun, her partner, Alraumon, and Lord Motomiya himself were waiting at the gate. 

***

The carriage stopped in the Primary Village, and Miyako saw that the brightly colored area was just as filled with refugee digimon as it had been the last time she'd visited. "They should rename this place _'Primary Hospital'_ ," she remarked to Iori, who climbed out behind her. 

"Primary Village _is_ the only place where digimon can be safe," Iori noted. 

"Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that Elecmon is equipped to deal with so many new digimon," Hawkmon observed, noting the red electrical digimon running around and trying to keep the newcomers from stepping on numerous digitama. 

The doctors, medics, nurses, and students that had arrived the previous morning were hard at work trying to make sense of the injured, and Jyou immediately dove into the fray, attempting to sort out what was going on and help the more serious patients. He had brought with him a large collection of various herbs, bandages, medicines, and various other sorts of medical equipment, and he immediately directed two students to unload the trunk containing them from the top of the carriage he'd ridden in. 

"It's so crazy here," Armadimon said with some nervousness. "What do we do?" 

"I'd suggest that we help out where we can with the injured and try to get some information out of them," Iori suggested. "We can't fight our enemy until we've discovered _who_ he is." 

***

Yamato located Daisuke near the stream that flowed behind the manor. He dangled his feet in the chilled water, appearing deep in thought. 

"It's kind of cold for that, isn't it?" Yamato wondered as he sat on the ground beside him. 

The younger boy shrugged slightly. "I suppose," he replied, non-committally. 

"Winter's coming, you know," he added casually. "Pretty soon this river will be ice, I expect." 

"Probably." Daisuke lifted one foot from the water, peered at it for a moment, and then dunked it under again before turning to face his visitor. "What are you doing here?" 

"Actually, we need your help," he began. 

"Yes, I figured you didn't come all the way here to comment on the weather," Daisuke noted dryly. "What now?" 

"I guess you haven't heard the news from the Primary Village," Gabumon noted.

He shook his head. "What news?"

"There are some new wild digimon in the Primary Village. They're all coming from the east," Yamato informed him. "Mostly they're running from someone calling themselves the Kaiser, who is interested in enslaving and controlling digimon. Most of the refugees are badly injured. Jyou sent a regiment of doctors there yesterday, and went himself today." 

"Sounds serious," Daisuke commented, frowning slightly and thinking of something entirely different. 

"I was in his territory only two days ago. I've seen it for myself," Yamato continued. "You're needed – you, Miyako, and Iori – because you can evolve. He's got some sort of magic that prevents evolution. We think that the digimentals will shield you from that magic, and you'll be able to armor evolve."

There was a moment of silence as the red-headed boy appeared to be absorbing the information. "A Kaiser…" he murmured softly. "I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Gabumon asked. 

Daisuke shook his head. "It's nothing," he dismissed, waving his hand and standing up. "Give me a few hours to pack." 

Yamato nodded. "We can leave first thing in the morning," he said. "I'm not looking forward to that long ride at night."  

***

Miyako stretched, removing the kinks from her back after spending the night on a cot. She and Iori had spent the previous day helping the medical staff in any way they could. Now, the sun was just barely up, but she couldn't sleep any longer, so she exited the tent and walked around. 

She, Iori, Jyou, and the contingency of doctors and nurses that had come the day before all had tents set up on the outskirts of the Primary Village. Early as it was, Miyako found that she was the only one awake. _'I guess I could try to help out a bit,'_ she thought, and decided to search for firewood. 

Nearly an hour later, her arms full of sticks and twigs from the surrounding forest, Miyako made her way back towards the Village. The sun was rising beyond the camp, over the distant hills, and she could see that it was bright in the east. Momentarily, she thought about what was going on beyond those hills. 

_'Those poor digimon,'_ Miyako sighed. '_I wonder if they even can see the sun.'_  She continued walking, imagining what sort of awful conditions the digimon might be forced to endure. _'I hope we can help them. I hope Daisuke gets here soon.'_ She turned in the opposite direction, in hopes of seeing some sign of his approach, but everything was still and quiet. All the digimon were asleep, and there was no noise at all. 

Suddenly, she was alerted by the sound of large footsteps behind her. Turning sharply, she saw that it was a carriage, pulled by two humongous Monochromon, as was customary. Curious, Miyako watched as the vehicle moved its way up the road, over the rolling hills that filled the area. It paused in the road beside her. 

"Pardon me, Miss," the driver excused himself politely. "Can you tell me the way to Primary Village?" 

Miyako frowned and squinted at him through the dim early-morning light. "Why are you going there?" 

"It's not me, Miss, it's my passenger. Urgent business. Mustn't say a thing about it to anyone," the driver replied. 

"Well, they're very packed at the Primary Village," Miyako told him. "They're not in the mood for tourists at this moment. Tell your passenger to find somewhere else to take vacation unless he's a doctor willing to help." 

"I'd love to, madam, but I'm afraid she won't stand for it," he apologized. "Please, make me life easier and tell me the way?" 

"What's going on?" a voice questioned from the carriage. The shade covering the window rose. "It's early morning, who could possibly be awake – Miyako!" 

"Hikari? What - ?" 

"I had this feeling I should be at the Primary Village very soon. I think I may be needed there," Hikari explained. "Don't tell my brother, please. He wanted me to stay home, but I just had to come." 

"You should have picked another driver," Miyako said, half-joking. "He doesn't have a clue about where to go." 

"Sorry, Ma'am," the driver apologized again. 

"It's all right," Miyako assured him. "It's just up ahead. I was getting some wood for the fire. Everyone's probably just waking up. I'll show you where to go." Quickly, she climbed into the carriage, taking the twigs and sticks with her. 

***

Near that evening, Daisuke and Yamato finally arrived, and Miyako and Iori were eager to go into the forest on their first mission. They knew, however, that some amount of planning needed to be done first. 

"I'd advise that you stay hidden as long as possible. Don't attract attention to yourselves if you can help it," Yamato advised. "We're not even certain these digimentals will be of use against the dark towers, so don't stay long in there." 

Daisuke frowned slightly. "We're not going to help anything by running away," he reminded Yamato. "We're here to fight, remember?" 

"You are, but you're of no help if you get hurt," he replied. 

"I think we should try to knock down one of those towers," Iori spoke up before an argument could commence. "If we can accomplish that, then maybe some of the digimon will be freed." 

"And then the rest of us might be able to evolve," Gabumon nodded in agreement. "Good plan." 

"So how close is the nearest tower?" Miyako wondered. She peered in the direction of the forest. 

"There's no way to tell, is there?" Hikari noted with a frown. "Until you're in front of one, that is." 

"Well, we're not doing anything standing around," Daisuke decided, a cheerful, eager sound in his voice despite the seriousness. "Let's go." 

***

"Well, so far it looks like an ordinary forest," Iori noted as the three stood on the edge of the border of the kingdom. 

"Probably looks different from inside," Daisuke decided with a shrug. "C'mon, V-mon. Let's see what we can find." He stepped forward and disappeared into the forest. 

"Daisuke! Wait!" Miyako called. "Are you crazy?" She followed him into the trees, Hawkmon dashing after her. 

"We really shouldn't split up – ," Iori sighed, following them. "I think I'm going to have to be the sensible one in this group," he commented to Armadimon. 

"Someone has to," his partner agreed with a shrug. 

"Oh relax," Daisuke half-scolded Miyako. "It's fine, see? We've been here for two whole minutes, and we're still alive." 

"We won't be much longer if you keep attracting attention to us," she reminded him. "Hey – "

"What?" Hawkmon questioned, turning the direction she had turned. "I don't see anything." 

"I think we should try to stay together," Iori was saying as he emerged into the clearing where they had stopped. "We've got strength in numbers, you know, and it won't help us to separate." 

"I think there's a tower right over there," Miyako interrupted, pointing. "I see a dark light." 

"How can a light be dark?" V-mon wanted to know. 

"I don't know, it just is," Miyako said. "It's dark magic, I think. All magic has this glowing aura. Dark magic is the same, just – dark." She shrugged, uncertain of how to explain it. "If I look hard enough, you can see that magic emanating from a point over there. It spreads out all the way over here." 

"That must be the magic that prevents the others from evolving," Hawkmon theorized. 

"Well, then that's what we have to destroy," Daisuke decided. He was off, running in the direction Miyako pointed before anyone could stop him. 

"Daisuke – wait!" Miyako called, but he'd already disappeared.

***

Again, Wormmon made his way across the polished floor, nearly sliding several times against the smooth surface. His legs wobbled slightly, but it was more from nervousness than the lack of footing. He took a deep breath before he spoke. 

"Master?" 

There was no reply. The Kaiser was again immersed in a book of dark magic, and didn't look up. 

"I hate to interrupt, Master, but there are more humans in the forest." 

His master lifted one head but didn't turn to face him. "Humans?"

"Yes, Master. Three humans." 

"I do enjoy a challenge. What shall I employ this time?" The Kaiser's voice was light, his tone nearly pleasant. He rose from his chair and took a few steps towards the window. "The Tyrannomon were **_useless_** the last time," – here there was a bit of anger – "Monochromon are just too slow…I'll have to use some thing large. But I haven't anything else large. Perhaps a lot of small things will work. What do I have a lot of?" He paused for a moment, scratching his chin as he thought.

"Well, there's that swarm of Flymon, Master," Wormmon recalled with a nervous voice. The entire swarm – nearly twenty digimon – had been captured only the day before.

"Flymon. Yes, perfect. The poison in a single Flymon stinger is enough to kill a human within two days. Yes, Flymon will be _perfect_." Rather pleased, he left the room, strolling down the hall to assemble his troops, leaving Wormmon to sigh in relief. 

***

"That's the tower?" Daisuke wondered, pausing a short distance from the object. He looked up at the tall, black obelisk. It didn't appear to be glowing, but even without magic he was able to sense the darkness behind it, and shivered slightly.

"Looks like it," V-mon agreed. "So now what? Destroy it?" 

"Actually, I believe you're the one who shall be destroyed," a voice behind them commented. 

Daisuke noticed then that there was a rather angry-looking Flymon positioned only a short distance from his face. He turned, stepping backwards, and saw there was another behind him. "No where to run, is there?" the voice mocked. 

Daisuke looked up then past the Flymon blocking him and saw that the person he would soon come to consider his enemy was positioned on the head of an Airdramon, hovering just above him. "I'm not giving up," he muttered under his breath. In his pocket, he felt the white box that was the digimental container. In his other hand, he gripped his digivice tightly. "V-mon! Digimental up!" 

The bright light filled the area. "V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!"  Several Flymon were forced to back off from the new intruder. 

"All right! I knew it would work!" Daisuke cheered, allowing himself a small victory dance now that the Flymon had retreated slightly and he could move without fear of being stung.

The Kaiser was astonished. "What? How? How is it _possible?_ That dark magic is supposed to be _impenetrable!_" 

"Well, you were wrong, then," Daisuke said, half-mocking. "Didn't think about the digimentals!" He was too cheerful to notice the shocked expression on his enemy's face turn to extreme anger. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon blasted a few of the Flymon easily. Some of them deleted instantly, on others, the dark rings fell off, leaving them dazed. But there were many Flymon, and they weren't eager to give up that easily.

"Brown Stinger!" several Flymon shouted in unison, shooting their large stingers. Fladramon was easily able to dodge. Daisuke, too, dived quickly out of the way. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon fired his attack back at the same time he dodged. 

Daisuke was absorbed in watching the fight between his partner and the numerous Flymon, and didn't notice when another one appeared behind him.

***

Yes, yes, I _do_ like cliffhangers. I _do_ like torturing readers _and_ characters! I do! 

Surprisingly there was no foreshadowing here – at least none that I know of. Lots of questions, but you knew that. How long until everyone finds out just _who_ they're up against? And how will they react? Will Miyako and Iori _ever_ catch up with Daisuke? Will they manage to convince him that he needs to slow down? Will they be able to help him or is he doomed? Augh! The questions are unlimited! I love it! ::insert evil laugh here::

Fear not, all answers will be given – eventually – I think. Stay tuned, readers, stay tuned.

Also – the attack used by Flymon (Brown Stinger) is the American(English) attack. I have no idea what the original Japanese name for it is. If it's different, please let me know, I like to have these things correct. Thanks. 


	3. Evil Has Struck!

In The Dark

Part Three: Evil Has Struck!

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Digimon, all related characters and what not, is not mine. This story, however, is! The plot is! Hear that, suit-clad men in Tokyo? It's mine! Mine! Mine! ::ahem::

***

Miyako saw the fire blaze through the cover of trees and knew instantly that something was happening. Iori heard the shout Fladramon called a split second before he saw the fire. 

"Looks like the digimental worked for Daisuke," Miyako observed. "Let's see if he needs help. Digimental up!" 

"Hawkmon armor evolve! Holsmon!" A giant bird with a metal helmet appeared a moment later.

"Hop on, Iori," Miyako shouted to the boy and his partner as she climbed aboard her partner. Seconds later, they were in the air. 

Another moment later, and they were above the dark tower. "Red Sun!" Holsmon called loudly, as two red beams shot from his helmet. They connected easily with a few of the Flymon, the rings around them breaking in half and disintegrating. 

"Miyako! Yeah!" Daisuke shouted, now paying absolutely no attention to his surroundings. 

"Daisuke, look out!" Iori called in warning, but it was too late. The Flymon behind him had gone undetected, and now struck out violently with the stinger attached to the end of its body.

"Brown Stinger!" the controlled Flymon shouted, red eyes glowing as it fired the stinger. 

Daisuke spun around after Iori's shout, and saw the Flymon just before it attacked. He dodged quickly to the left, in hopes of possibly escaping, but a rock in the way caused him to trip. His ankle twisted underneath him, and he landed on the ground with a thud. Another stone on the ground scraped his left arm, a tree branch scratched a mark above his eyes, and the stinger landed solidly in his left leg just above the knee. 

Miyako winced in sympathy as he screamed. "I expect that hurt," she noted, steering Holsmon towards the ground. As soon as he'd landed, she, Iori, and Armadimon dismounted, and her partner took to the air again fending off the Flymon that remained. 

"Armadimon, let's help out," Iori decided. "Digimental Up!" 

"Good plan," his partner agreed. "Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" The bright light filled the area momentarily, and then the small yellow digimon was replaced with a larger one. "Let's take out that tower." 

Miyako had made her way to Daisuke, a short distance away, and was examining him for bruises. "Oh, this is just fabulous," she was saying as Iori approached. "You couldn't sit and wait, right? Had to run ahead and get hurt. This is great. Now what are we going to do?" 

"I'd say it would be wise to retreat," Iori noted. "I'm not sure how long we can hold off these Flymon, and there's likely to be reinforcements soon." 

"Reinforcements? Great," Miyako groaned. She began to search in the bag she carried for something that could be used as a bandage.   
"What happened to the Kaiser?" Daisuke wondered, gritting his teeth and trying not to look at his leg.. Miyako paid no attention to him. 

"I think he left," Iori replied. "I haven't seen him." He turned and surveyed the battle field. A dozen or so Flymon remained, and Holsmon and Fladramon were managing to battle successfully with help from Digmon, who was making his way through the reduced swarm towards the tower. 

"Leave? Why would he leave?" Miyako looked up from her search. 

"Maybe because he knew we were beating him!" Daisuke said, half-cheering. Miyako located a piece of cloth that was useful as a bandage, and began to wrap it around his arm, which was bleeding profusely. "Ow!" he protested, wincing again.

"Yeah, we're beating him all right," Miyako grumbled slightly. She assessed his leg. "That's going to hurt when it comes out." 

"It hurts already," he replied, still trying not to look at it. "Can't we leave it in?" 

"Bad idea," Iori noted. "We've got to get back to the Village. That's where the doctors are." 

"How?" Miyako demanded, using another cloth to wipe away the blood around her 'patient's' eye. "I doubt he can walk." 

"I can walk fine," Daisuke protested. He braced himself on his arms and tried to move his leg beneath him. A sharp pain ran through his leg. He gritted his teeth, tried not to shout, and gave up. "Maybe later," he decided, falsely casual. 

"I don't think time will help much," Iori sighed.

"Big Crack!" Digmon's shout rung through the forest as he pressed his drills to the side of the tower. A crack began to appear in the side of the tall obelisk, and a moment later, it had split completely in half. 

"Yeah!" Miyako shouted joyfully, and Iori, too, looked pleased. The rings around the Flymon snapped in half, leaving a few very dazed creatures. Fladramon, Holsmon, and Armadimon de-evolved. Miyako looked towards Daisuke to get his reaction, but was surprised to find that he had lost consciousness. 

"Careful!" Hawkmon warned, catching V-mon as he fell. "This could be bad." 

"What happened?" Armadimon wondered. 

"The magic around the tower was broken," Miyako observed, looking at the remains. "The dark magic in the tower was also the source of the dark magic controlling the Flymon. Now that the spell is broken, they're freed again."

"I'd suspect the only reason V-mon was able to keep fighting as Fladramon was because Daisuke was managing to stay awake. Now that the spell was broken, he must have known there was no reason to keep fighting. He couldn't hold out any longer," Hawkmon theorized. 

"Looks that way," Iori noted. "The question is, how do we get him back to the village?" 

***

It was way past dark, and Yamato was worried. A fire had been lit in the center of the camp they'd set up on the edge of the village, and he was pacing. 

"How long have they been gone?" he demanded of his partner. 

Gabumon sighed, looking up from his gaze into the fire. "Four hours," he replied. "And five minutes from the last time you asked me." 

"Should we go after them?" 

"We can't, remember?" 

Yamato sighed, sitting on the ground beside his partner. "This was a bad idea. I just know it. Something's gone wrong. Horribly wrong." 

"You should be the one to tell Hikari the news," Gabumon told him. 

"I know. She's not going to like it. She's been working with the injured digimon all day, and I'm sure if she wasn't doing that, she'd be over here, worrying." 

"Keeping busy is a good way to forget your troubles," the blue and white digimon told his partner sagely. "You should do something, too." 

Yamato was about to reply to that when he saw a bit of movement in the distance. "I think that's them…" 

"It would appear they have wounded," Gabumon observed. "Two of them are carrying another." 

"Go get a doctor," Yamato advised, and was gone a moment later.

***

"He's very heavy," Miyako sighed, finally setting the injured boy down on a cot inside a tent. "I _never_ want to carry him that far again." 

"What happened?" Yamato wondered. 

"Long story," Hawkmon sighed, collapsing beside his partner on the ground.

"Daisuke was separated from us and ran into a swarm of Kaiser-controlled Flymon," Iori reported, sipping a glass of water that one of the medics handed him. "We caught up with him a short while later. I don't know what happened in between. As soon as we got there, one of the Flymon caught him unawares. He tried to dodge, but it got him in the leg." 

"He was stung?" Jyou repeated, not having noticed the giant stinger until now, and turned a bit pale. 

"Yes. In the leg," Iori repeated. 

One of the nurses was attempting to waken the boy. She helped him to drink some water, and he opened his eyes groggily. "What -?"

"You're back at Primary village," another doctor told him. 

"Yeah, we had to carry you all the way back!" Miyako complained loudly. 

"Carry – me?" he repeated blankly, and groaned, laying back again. "I feel like I was stampeded." 

"Don't blame you," Jyou observed dryly, having recovered somewhat. "Flymon stingers _hurt_." 

There was a slight commotion near the entrance of the tent, and several of the medics moved out of the way. "Daisuke!" a female voice called in surprise, and a split-second later, Hikari was by his side. She said nothing, just stared numbly at him.

Daisuke grinned sheepishly. "Hello…" he began.

"All right. I need this room cleared out!" Jyou shouted, loudly enough to be heard over the commotion. He pointed to a few nurses and medics, and then to Miyako and Iori "Take those two to another tent and make sure they're all right. Yamato, I'll need you to stay. Everyone else, Out!" Immediately, everyone began to obey.

"I'm not going anywhere," Hikari stated before anyone could say anything. 

"Good. You'll be needed. This will hurt," Jyou replied. 

"Hurt?" Daisuke repeated blankly. 

"Yup," Gomamon replied in an entirely too-cheerful voice. "That stinger has to be pulled out." The patient's eyes grew wide. 

"Yes, it will hurt quite a bit," the doctor agreed. "Yamato, I'll need you to hold his leg. Hikari, mind holding his head?" 

"Can't it just stay in?" Daisuke wondered, half-whining.

"Well, it could," Gomamon replied. "But unfortunately, that would mean the poison stays in your body." 

"Poison?" His eyes grew wide.

"Flymon stingers have an incredibly potent poison," Jyou replied. "Ready?" 

He most certainly was _not_ ready, but he really didn't have a choice in that matter. Yamato and Hikari were, though. Yamato gripped his lower leg so that he wouldn't accidentally kick Jyou in the process, and Hikari held his head because it would be better for him not to watch the procedure. Jyou positioned himself in the best location, gripped the large stinger with both hands, and pulled with all his might. 

Daisuke felt a sharp pain run through him that was possibly greater than the pain of initial impact with the stinger. Unconsciously, he flailed about, and Yamato had to throw nearly all his weight upon his leg to avoid being kicked. Jyou pulled harder, and harder. Eventually the object was removed, and the doctor fell backwards on to the floor. He held up the stinger triumphantly, and then looked at it closely. 

"Awful lot of poison out of here," he noted. "That means he got nearly the full strength." He spoke of Daisuke in the third person now because the boy had passed out again. 

"Will he be all right?" Yamato wondered, looking worriedly at the patient. 

"Yes, of course. Just as long as he gets the antidote in time," Jyou assured him. "In the meantime, though, this leg has to be bandaged." He searched through a box of medical equipment and found quickly a long white bandage, which he proceeded to wrap around the wound. 

"You'll need that poultice, too, won't you?" Gomamon questioned, and his partner nodded. 

"Poultice?" Gabumon repeated uncomprehendingly, having stayed in the with his partner. 

"Herbs. Designed to stop the bleeding and ease the pain," Jyou explained. "One of the nurses will make one up and put it on soon." He finished wrapping the wound. 

"He's in a lot of pain, isn't he?" Hikari questioned then, looking up from Daisuke's face for the first time since he'd passed out again. 

Jyou sighed. "Not at the moment, no, since he's asleep, but he will be when he awakes." 

"How long do we have?" she asked directly. 

"Judging from the amount of poison that came out of that stinger, I'd say that if he doesn't get the antidote by tomorrow evening, he's in serious trouble." 

***

Sora was enjoying a very peaceful sleep. The weather was chilly now, so she was snuggled under thick blankets. For the first time in several months she had the entire suite of rooms to herself, and so as not to feel too alone she'd left the door to her room wide open while she slumbered. Piyomon laid comfortably at the end of the bed, snoring slightly as she slept. 

Suddenly, there was frantic knocking on the outer door on the opposite side of the parlor that she ordinarily shared with Jun and Miyako. Sleepily, Sora sat up, confused, and then the person who'd been knocking became frustrated with it, and the door opened wide. Koushiro peered into the room. 

"Sorry for the interruption, but I think you might be needed." 

"For – what?" she wondered, rubbing her eyes and blinking in the dim light at the wizard. 

"It would appear that Hikari's gone missing."

***

It was late at night when Takeru arrived. 

The first thing he noticed was that it was extraordinarily busy at the castle for such an hour. People – servants, nobles, everyone – were running around frantically. Thankfully, he'd walked the last of the distance or he wouldn't have found anyone to care for his carriage. As he entered the main hall, no less than three frantic maids dashed past him in a big hurry. 

"Excuse me," Takeru tried to question a butler, but he was busy rushing past and didn't even hear the request. "Apparently security is not currently an issue…" he noted, lifting the one bag he'd carried with him over his shoulder and deciding to head for his room. 

As he walked through the corridors, more servants rushed past him, and a few ladies that seemed to have been awakened in the middle of the night as they were still wearing robes. "What's going on?" he called. 

"Missing! She's missing!" one of the women called back over her shoulder as she rushed on by, but gave no further information. 

"Who's missing?" Takeru shouted back, but she was already gone and didn't appear to have heard him. He shrugged slightly, opening the door to his room. "Maybe Yamato knows what's going on." 

A few minutes later, he got no further in his questions, as his brother didn't appear to be in his room either. "_Now_ this is getting strange," Takeru decided. He left the room, too overwhelmed by curiosity to be concerned with feeling tired, and headed for the main hall in search of information. 

"Takeru? What are you doing here?" A female voice questioned, and when he turned around he was surprised to see Sora and Koushiro heading towards him. 

"I just got in – what's going on?" 

"The princess is missing," Koushiro replied. "Taichi's frantic, the whole place is searching for her." 

"Missing? Hikari?" Takeru repeated. "Was she kidnapped?" 

"No one knows," Sora replied. "She just can't be found." She began walking again, and Koushiro followed. Takeru rushed after them. 

"How long has she been missing?" he wondered. 

"It was only just discovered a few hours ago," Tentomon replied, flying behind his partner. 

***

When Daisuke awoke again, he was aware of a sharp pain in his leg, a dull pain in his head, another in his arm, and a weakness that seemed to permeate his entire body. He groaned slightly and opened his eyes. The dim light that filtered through the tent told him that it was early morning. 

"Here, drink," a voice advised, and he felt a cup placed against his lips. The same someone also lifted his head with a hand. Without really thinking of a reason to resist, he obeyed, gulping, and felt cool, clean water flow down his throat. When there was no more water, the cup disappeared, and Hikari's face replaced it. 

"Thanks," he said, not surprised to find his voice was weak. He coughed slightly, trying to clear his throat. 

"How do you feel?" she asked. 

"Not too bad," he replied, partially lying, and leaned back again. The pain in his head was sharper now, and he reached up to feel the bandage wrapped just above his eyes. 

The look on her face told him she didn't believe that in the least, but she said nothing about it. "You look a little better." 

"How long was I out?" 

"Well, you passed out a bit before midnight, and it's nearly morning now. I'd say about five hours." 

"Guess I needed the nap," he sighed, and shut his eyes. He opened them a moment later. "Hikari?" She was quiet, had been quiet, and he could sense something strange. 

"I – ," she began, and paused, cleared her throat, and looked at the ground. "I saw this." 

"Saw – what?" Daisuke repeated blankly.

"This. You, this tent, and the way you are now. I saw it. I dreamt it." Her voice was very soft, as though she was afraid of revealing the information. 

***

Taichi was pacing about his room, still only half-dressed. He wore a thin, off-white linen nightshirt and a pair of his usual pants. Sora, still exhausted, had fallen asleep a half-hour ago in a chair, but he was too worried to sleep. He walked back and forth between the window and the door, barely noticing that the sun had risen and day was beginning anew. The rest of the palace was searching for his sister, and he would have been searching himself, except that Takeru and Koushiro had convinced him to try to get some rest. Sora had stayed with him, but her efforts had, unfortunately, failed. 

There was a knock on the door and Koushiro entered. 

"Is there anything?" Taichi questioned. Koushiro shook his head. 

"Nothing yet," he replied with a tired sigh. "We've sent the soldiers to search the courtyard, and they're beginning to spread out across the grounds. The only thing I'm certain of is that she's not in the palace."

"What could have happened?" he wondered, stepping away from Koushiro to the window and opening the curtains. From there, he could see that the soldiers and several servants were beginning to search the grounds, peering behind bushes. In the distance, on the road beyond the castle, he could see a single carriage speeding up the road. 

"Who's that?" Agumon wondered sleepily from where he'd been dozing on the window seat. 

Koushiro walked to the window and peered past Taichi's shoulder. "I don't know," he admitted. "Looks as though he's in a hurry, though." 

"A big hurry. And he's headed this way," Agumon observed.

"Send someone down to figure out what the problem is," Taichi decided. "The driver wouldn't be running a Monochromon at such a speed if there wasn't something important." 

***

Daisuke was surprised, to say the least. "Dreamt? This?" he repeated. "But – how?" 

Hikari stood up and stepped away from him, still not looking in his direction. "I don't know," she replied, very softly. "I just know it was exactly like this. You were hurt, the same places you are now." She turned back to him finally, with watery eyes. She held a wavering arm out and pointed. "The cut – there – above the eyes…it was the same. And there was this laugh…"

He nodded, eyes becoming distant as though he remembered something. "The Kaiser," he said, softly. "He had this laugh, this mocking laugh…," he broke off, shuddering slightly. "But – how?" 

***

Takeru was the lucky one chosen to meet the frantic carriage. He stood at the end of the path that lead to the castle. Almost immediately after he'd arrived, the carriage pulled to a quick stop before him, and Jyou tumbled out. 

"Doctor? Why the hurry?" 

"There's no time to explain, Takeru!" Jyou replied, a harried expression on his face as he walked past him into the castle. "I'll need another carriage, quickly as possible." 

"I'll try," Takeru replied. "But it might take a while. We need every available person to search." 

"Search?" the doctor paused for a moment, turning around. "Search for what?" 

"Hikari. She's missing." 

"Missing – oh dear," Jyou turned slightly pale. "Where's Taichi? I'll need to see him. Now." 

"Upstairs," Takeru pointed. "I'll show you – ." 

"No, no, I'll find it," he waved a hand in dismissal. "Call in those searchers. Find someone to get me a carriage. I know where Hikari is, and I'll need a ride fast." 

"You know? But, where?" 

"No time to explain, Takeru! It's a matter of life and death!"   
***

Miyako awoke early in the morning on a cot in a tent. After the usual morning routine, slightly modified since she was living in a tent, she went to the tent where Daisuke had been left to see how he was doing. She was about to enter when she heard a voice and paused. 

"I don't understand," Hikari was saying. "I've never expressed any magical ability before. I'm sure one of the wizards at the palace would have noticed if I did. But this dream – this dream tells otherwise." 

Ordinarily, Miyako wouldn't have interrupted or eavesdropped on a private conversation. But, as magic was something she knew a little about, she decided that perhaps it might be best if she did intrude. So, she coughed loudly and entered the tent. "Sorry for the intrusion," she apologized. "I couldn't help overhearing –."

"It's all right," Hikari assured her.

Miyako nodded. "I heard you say something about magic?" 

"She had a dream," Daisuke informed her.

"I dreamt that Daisuke was hurt. In exactly the same manner he is now," she elaborated. 

"A prophetic dream?" Miyako repeated. "Sounds like magic to me." 

"To me, too," the injured boy noted from his place on the cot.

"But I've never had any magic before," Hikari protested. "I've never shown any signs of magic. One of the wizards would have noticed if I did. There are always tons of them at the palace. And I can't _see _the way you do, either, Miyako." 

"That doesn't mean anything," the magic-user among them told her. "Many times magic can go without detection for many years. And many wizards don't have the magic sight like I do. I'm lucky. I can _see_ magic. Some can't. Some of the most powerful sorcerers, wizards, and mages cannot see magic." 

"Still, wouldn't _someone _have noticed?"

Miyako shook her head. "To me, your aura looks the same as it always has. People without magic have pale auras with splashes of color. Things with magic show more color…bright light, sometimes even. But your aura looks the same as it always has – without magic."

Hikari was intrigued now. "What does it look like to you?" she questioned.

"Pale, like most people's, but with a little bit of a pink and yellow color in it," Miyako replied. She looked past Hikari. "I think perhaps we should continue this conversation elsewhere." She pointed towards Daisuke, who'd fallen asleep. 

Hikari turned around, noting that the boy's eyes had closed. "Is he all right?"

Miyako nodded. "He's fine. Just weak." She stepped past Hikari and pulled the blanket up to his chin. "If anyone can pull through this without a problem, it'll be him." She smiled reassuringly. 

"I hope so…"

***

"She's _where?_" Taichi asked. He'd gone completely pale. Sora (who'd awakened in the last few minutes) stood behind him, concerned that he might either loose consciousness or lunge for Jyou. He waved her aside with a hand, and stepped forward. Sora glanced at Takeru once, and he nodded, understanding that he was to step in if Taichi did anything irrational. 

"At the Primary Village now," Jyou replied. He looked less nervous than usual. Perhaps, Takeru noted, because he was in such a hurry. 

"Why? How? When?" 

"She arrived yesterday morning," he answered. "She's not hurt in any way. But that's not why I'm here. I'm on an urgent medical mission." 

"Medical?" Sora repeated. 

"Someone's hurt?" Takeru questioned. 

"Yes. It seems we had a run in with the Kaiser already. But I can't really explain. I've only got until nightfall. That carriage had better be ready within the hour!" He rushed from the room before anyone could explain. 

"I'll fill you in," Gomamon spoke up from where he was, on the floor, having followed his partner. "What can I tell you?" 

"Who's hurt?" Taichi questioned. 

"Start with the easy ones. Good choice. That would be Daisuke." 

"What happened?" Sora asked. 

"Run in with the Kaiser and a nasty controlled Flymon." 

"Flymon?" Takeru repeated. "Ech." 

"Exactly," Gomamon nodded. "Flymon stingers are _very_ poisonous." 

"And there wasn't any antidote at the camp?" Patamon questioned from his perch on Takeru's head. 

The white digimon shook his head. "Not a drop," he replied. "Jyou thought to prepare for a lot of things he might need, but he didn't anticipate Flymon poison." 

Taichi sighed. Now that he knew where Hikari was, he had less reason to worry. He sat down weakly on the window seat. "How much did he take?" 

"Of poison?" Gomamon asked. When the boy nodded, he replied: "Almost the entire stinger. Jyou thinks he needs to have the antidote by tonight or else." 

"Or else?" Takeru repeated. Gomamon made a motion with his flipper as though he were slicing through his own neck. Takeru shuddered. "No wonder he's in so much of a hurry." 

"When did you leave?" Sora wondered. 

"Almost as soon as we found out it was needed," Gomamon replied. "Daisuke was hurt yesterday, late afternoon. Miyako and Iori needed to carry him back after that to the village and arrived just after nightfall. We left an hour or two after that. Would have left earlier, but we needed to find a willing and awake Monochromon." 

"You'll need to hurry back," Takeru noted. 

Taichi sighed. "Always getting in troubles, he is," he mumbled, half to himself. "Sora, do you think you and Piyomon could volunteer transportation?" 

Sora looked confused for a moment, then she glanced at her partner. "I suppose so. Think you can handle it, Piyomon?" 

"Sure," Piyomon replied. "As long as I get a rest once I'm there." 

"No problem." 

"Good," Taichi nodded. "Takeru, follow them with the carriage. That way they'll have a way home." 

"Right," Takeru nodded. "But what do you need me for? A driver could handle it on his own." 

"True. But I think you'll be needed," Taichi replied. "And I usually follow my hunches. In the meantime, I'm going to take a nap. Send word back if anything goes wrong." 

"What about Hikari?" Agumon questioned. 

"Tell her to send a message back with Sora." With that, he was gone.

***

I believe it was Kaeera who requested more "Daisuke-hurt" scenes? Well, there you go! Don't worry, I didn't plan the scene _for_ you. This particular plotline was thought up ages ago, but I wasn't sure if I would use it. ^_^

Let's see…there's obviously much more to write about in this story, so don't expect it to be over any time soon. As usual, I have absolutely _no idea_ how or when it will end, so don't bother asking…feel free to guess, though, you could be right!

Obviously, there's more cliffhangers abound…don't worry, I have no plans to kill off anyone major…! 

Thanks again to everyone for all the fabulous reviews I've received! Stay tuned! ^_^


	4. Hope Arrives

In The Dark

Part Four: Hope Arrives

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Does Digimon belong to me? Unfortunately not, that means none of the characters in this story are mine. Why am I using them? Because I want to. Is this plot mine? Yes. Do I get any money for this? No. If you sue me, will _you_ get anything? No, I have no money. Thank you. 

***

It was mid-day, and Iori was eating a meal. From the grim look on the boy's face, Miyako guessed that Daisuke wasn't doing much better. 

"Not good?" she questioned, sitting beside him. Iori slowly chewed the food he had just taken a bite of before responding. 

"Not very," he replied. "Hikari wouldn't come out to eat," he gestured to the tent she was now in, "so the medics brought the food in. Daisuke's been asleep since this afternoon." He sighed deeply. "He's not doing well." 

"I hope Jyou gets back soon," Miyako replied, beginning on her own food. 

"He'd better," Hawkmon nodded in agreement. "Otherwise I don't think he has much hope." 

"Hey – what's that up there?" Armadimon called, pointing towards a shape in the sky. 

"Is that - ?" Iori wondered, but didn't finish his sentence because Miyako interrupted.

"Sora? That is! That's Birdramon!" Miyako stood up, forgetting her meal for the moment, and waved. "Sora!"

The fiery bird digimon landed a moment later, with Sora clutching one leg and Jyou another. Birdramon de-evolved to Piyomon, looking a bit tired. Jyou looked a bit nauseous. 

"You all right?" Sora asked. 

"Oh, fine, fine. I was just not made to fly through the air, that's all," the doctor replied. Gomamon, who'd ridden in his partner's backpack, laughed, somewhat embarrassed. 

"Don't mind him," the small digimon jokingly advised Sora. "He's got a very sensitive stomach." 

"You can say that again," Jyou moaned. 

"You've arrived just in time," Iori told them. He pointed toward the tent. "He's in there." 

Jyou nodded, taking a lung-full of fresh air before entering the tent. 

"How's he doing?" Sora questioned. 

"Not well," Miyako replied. 

"Been asleep since this morning," Iori agreed. 

"Join us for lunch, won't you?" Hawkmon offered. 

***

Two hours later, Jyou emerged from the tent looking very tired but a bit more alive. Iori, Miyako, Sora, and Yamato were sitting around the fire, talking, and drinking some tea. When the doctor emerged, Sora offered him a cup and a seat. 

"Thanks," he replied. "It's been a long day." He took a long gulp of tea and sat down on the log beside Yamato. 

"How'd it go?" Yamato questioned. 

"I think very well," the doctor answered as Miyako poured him a refill. "He hasn't awakened yet, but he already looks more alive." 

"So then he'll be all right?" Iori asked. 

"It's still too early to say, but I think, yes." He finished the second cup of tea in two gulps and yawned.. "I think I'll get some sleep. I've been awake for much too long." With that, the doctor was gone, disappearing into his own tent to fall asleep. 

***

"Hikari?" Miyako slipped into the tent. It was nearly dark now, and the only candle in the tent was not providing much light. "Are you in here?" 

"She's asleep," a voice warned her, and Miyako was surprised to see that Daisuke was awake. "I wouldn't move her."

"You're awake?" 

"Yeah, have been for about a few minutes," he answered in a very quiet voice, and pointed one arm across the tent. Hikari was slumped in a chair, asleep. "I wouldn't move her if I were you," he repeated. 

"Why not?" 

"She'll probably just wake up confused and run back in here," he told her. "Save yourself the time." He shut his eyes and for a moment she guessed he'd fallen asleep again. 

"I suppose…," she agreed hesitantly, glancing back towards the girl. "I'll find her a blanket." 

***

Takeru cautiously steered the Monochromon through the brush. Thanks to a detour due to a fire and a very stubborn Monochromon, he'd taken longer to make it to the Primary Village than expected. Now he led the large digimon through the grass. 

"Takeru?" Patamon questioned sleepily from his perch atop the wagon. He'd fallen asleep. 

"Yes?" Takeru asked, sounding distracted because he was trying to pull the Monochromon past a mud puddle. 

"Are we almost there?" 

"I think so," he replied, pausing momentarily in his struggles to rest. "I _hope_ so."  
"Would have been faster if we'd just walked, you know," Patamon noted. 

"Yeah, but then how would Sora get back? The whole point was to bring the carriage. I think. I don't know anymore." With a sigh, he sat on the ground for a moment and removed the canteen he carried in the bag on his back. Taking a cool drink, Takeru felt a bit more refreshed. It was now very late at night again, and he'd been on the road since the night before. "This was _not_ supposed to take this long," he sighed. 

Patamon flapped his ears and flew from the top of the carriage down to meet his partner. He landed softly on the boy's head. Suddenly, there was a beeping from somewhere. "What's that?" the digimon questioned. 

"My digivice," Takeru realized, pulling the object from his pocket. "I'm reading something…"

"The others?" Patamon suggested.   
"We're close enough," he nodded. "But that's not it. I only see one thing." Takeru pointed to the screen of his digivice. "See? One dot. And it's farther away than the village." 

"It is," Patamon nodded. "Beyond it." 

Takeru frowned. "I wonder what it is?" He stood up, putting the canteen of water in his bag. "Only one way to find out." 

"We follow it?" his partner guessed. 

"Precisely. But first I'd better figure out what to do with this thing. " He gestured towards the Monochromon, who was munching slowly on some grass. 

"If we leave him here, I don't think he'll go far," Patamon whispered conspiratorially. 

***

It was not yet sunrise when Hikari awoke again. She noted that Daisuke was asleep and the sky had only just begun to lighten. Someone had pulled a blanket over her shoulders. 

Yawning and stretching, she sleepily rubbed her eyes and peered through the dim light at the sleeping patient. The candle had gone out long ago, but there was light enough so that she could see he appeared to be in less pain than before. 

The flap of the tent parted slightly, and Tailmon entered. "Hikari?"

She yawned before she answered. "He's doing better." 

The small feline nodded. "I see," she observed. "It's too early in the morning. Why _are_ you awake?" 

"I'm not sure," Hikari replied with a confused expression. "I just am." 

"Do you think it has anything to do with that noise?" 

"Noise -?" she repeated blankly, and became aware of a noise coming from somewhere in the blanket she'd been sleeping with. "My digivice!" she realized once she'd located the object. "It's reading something." 

"I figured that's why it was making the noise," Tailmon commented dryly. "Shall we figure out what it is?" 

"I think so," Hikari replied. "But there's a problem." 

"What problem?" 

"It's in _that_ direction." She pointed away from the tent, away from camp, away from the village…

Into the Kaiser's territory. 

***

"I'm not so sure this was such a good idea," Takeru commented as he and Patamon made their way through the dense foliage. "It's dark in here, and I have a bad feeling about this place." 

"Maybe we should come back later…when it's lighter and less evil-feeling," Patamon suggested, clutching tightly to his partner's head. 

"We can't turn back now. We're almost there!" Takeru disagreed. "Besides…I, kind of don't know how to get back." 

"We _have_ taken a lot of turns," the small digimon noted with a sigh. 

"And we've gone very far," Takeru agreed. "At least we're not pulling that Monochromon. I'm glad we left him and the carriage behind. I'm sure Sora can find another way to -." 

He was cut off just then because he noticed a light coming from a place not too far from where he was. 

***

Cautiously, Hikari stepped over the twigs and leaves on the ground, trying to make as little noise as possible. Tailmon, silent as every feline is, followed behind her like a shadow, her big blue eyes peering around, constantly alert. Her large ears were raised high, attuned to even the slightest noise. Now that they were in the Kaiser's territory, they needed to take every precaution so as not to be found. 

Neither partner spoke. Absolute silence was unquestionably necessary. Hikari kept one eye on her digivice and the other on where her feet were stepping. She didn't look around her for danger, because she knew that Tailmon would alert her. Instead she concentrated entirely on avoiding the noisy leaves and twigs covering the forest floor. 

'_I can't believe I'm doing this,'_ she thought silently as she walked. _'If Taichi found out -?'_  She shuddered mentally when she thought of her brother's reaction. She hadn't spoken to Sora yet, but she was certain he'd gone completely out of his mind when she'd left the palace without notifying anyone of her departure or destination. 

_'But I'm not a child anymore,'_  Hikari reminded herself.  A cool wind blew past her, and she shivered slightly. _'My brother can worry all he wants, but some things change. I'm old enough to decide what I can do.'_

She stopped walking abruptly when she heard a noise. Tailmon paused behind her, mid-step. In the distance, they could hear two voices. 

"…I thought it was coming from over here, but it looks like it's gone…" the first voice said.

"Maybe we imagined it after all," the second replied. 

"No! Look! There it is again!" 

The third comment was shouted in astonishment. Hikari turned her head around, wondering if she could see what was being seen. Her eyes locked on a pillar of light that seemed, for a moment, to be coming from a part of the forest. _'Is that what I'm searching for?'_ she wondered. 

"Let's go!" the voice shouted. 

Hikari turned briefly to look at Tailmon. The feline digimon peered back at her, and she could tell immediately that they were of the same mind. Quickly, they abandoned all attempts at further silence, and began running after the light and the other two voices. 

_'Who could they be?'_ Hikari wondered as she ran through the woods. _'They certainly didn't sound like they would be the Kaiser's slaves. Too cheerful. But there are no humans or free digimon in these woods. Who would be so stupid as to come in here without protection?'_ She paused that train of thought abruptly, remembering then that she, too, was in the woods with little protection. But she, at least, was aware of the dangers and taking precautions. 

_'So then they must not know this is the Kaiser's forest,_' she concluded. _'They don't know they're in danger.'_ She began to ponder on who would be in this part of the woods – outside the border of the kingdom, away from most human civilization. If the voices were digimon, then they certainly would have known, either from other digimon or from simply the nature of these woods, that something was wrong. 

Hikari concluded then that the intruders must have not know about the danger of this area, and therefore, it must have been a human and, most likely, his or her partner. She soon found that her conclusion was correct, because she emerged into a small clearing surrounding a cave. 

Across the clearing, a half-second behind her, emerged Takeru. 

"Hikari?" the boy blurted, stunned to find her there. 

There was no more time for words though, because the noise of the four creatures barreling through the woods had awakened a nearby group of a dozen or so Bakemon that were standing guard over the cave. "Hey!" the lead Bakemon shouted. 

"Hide!" Tailmon advised quickly, and ushered her partner in the direction of the cave. 

"Go!" Patamon shouted at his partner. "Air shot!"  Quickly, he fired his attack at one of the ghost-like creatures. A black band around his waist fell to the ground and quickly disintegrated. 

"What _is_ that thing?" Takeru wondered, having noticed the deletion. 

"No time to explain. Just get in the cave, you'll be safe there. We've got to free them before he sends reinforcements," Tailmon shouted. "Cat Punch!" She then quickly pounced on a few of the Bakemon, clawing fiercely. 

"Hell's Hand!" the Bakemon shouted in reply, his own dark attack forcing Takeru to dodge quickly. 

"Can't we just evolve?" Takeru asked, rolling to avoid the giant ghostly hand and reaching for his digivice. 

Tailmon laughed somewhat derisively. "Try it. Won't work. Your brother's failed." 

"Why?" Patamon questioned, avoiding a Bakemon of his own.

"Because of the dark magic in the area," Tailmon replied. "There's not time to explain, I told you. Just hide while Patamon and I take care of this." 

Against what ordinarily would have been his better judgment, Takeru quickly ducked into the cave Hikari had entered. "What's happening?" he wondered. 

"Takeru – how did you get here?" Hikari questioned, and the boy turned to take a look at his surroundings just then. The cave, though small in appearance, was actually rather large on the inside. Hikari was kneeling beside him, peering out the entrance and watching the battle. 

 "I was on my way to Primary Village," he replied. "For some reason, Taichi said I might be needed, so that's where I was headed. But then I got this signal." He held up his digivice as proof. 

"You've got to be careful around here," she told him, slightly admonishing in her tone. "This is the Kaiser's territory." 

"Kaiser?" he repeated blankly. _'Gomamon mentioned something about him_.'

"You got something from your digivice too?" Hikari questioned, half-ignoring his question.

"Yeah – this one blinking dot," he held out his digivice as proof. 

"Strange. So do I. And it's closer now that we're in this cave." She stood up and peered into the cave. "It's dark…I wish we had a light." 

"I see one…" Takeru squinted his eyes. "At the end of the cave." 

There was no debate about whether or not to follow the light. Wordlessly, Hikari and Takeru both wandered into the darkness at the back of the cave. The light grew stronger as they got further from the entrance. After a short walk, they could see a raised stone platform with two objects on it. 

"Oh my!" Hikari gasped. 

"What? What is it?" Takeru questioned. He was beginning to feel _very_ lost. In front of the platform were two signs. "_'Digimental Kibou'_," he read. "'_Only the true owner can raise the digimental'_. But that's the same as - ." 

"It's your digimental," Hikari realized, interrupting. "When Daisuke found his, it was in a cave just like this one. I should have known that's what the digivices were leading us to." 

"_'Digimental Hikari',_" Takeru read from the second sign. "I'm guessing this one belongs to you." 

"I suppose so -," she replied hesitantly, glancing towards the egg-shaped white object on the stone platform. It had a flower-like symbol on it. "So Hope must be yours." 

"It would make sense," he agreed, reaching for the string he wore around his neck. "I almost forgot about this." 

"A crest? Takeru – you didn't tell anyone you had a crest!" 

"I guess I forgot," he replied sheepishly. "I never even remembered to ask Koushiro about it. But it's the same symbol. So I guess this is the crest of Hope." 

"You should have said something," she told him. "Crests are important!" 

 "I found it when we were fighting Devimon. Or, rather, Nanomon. My crest was the door which led us into the building where Sora was. After the others arrived, I guess I just was so caught up in what was going on that I didn't have time to mention it. And then we got back and there was so much happening…" Takeru shrugged. "I guess I forgot." 

Hikari looked as though she was about to say something more, when suddenly, an earth-shattering crash was heard outside. "Fire Breath!" 

"Tyrannomon!" she realized. "Let's go."

Quickly, they both stepped up to the platform and lifted the digimentals with ease. "I think these will be needed," Takeru noted. 

***

Miyako arose shortly after the sun and immediately decided to get some breakfast. Though the camp was small, it had many occupants, and she was certain someone had managed to make some food for the morning meal by that point. 

However, when she stepped out of her tent, she noted that the place where the fire was usually blazing was nothing more than a cold pile of smoldering ashes and sticks. Medics, doctors, nurses, and the rest of the camp's occupants were dashing about, looking frantic. 

"What's going on?" she questioned. Hawkmon, standing sleepily beside her, shrugged. 

"It would appear they're having a crisis," he noted. 

"…Got to be around here _somewhere_…" a doctor muttered under his breath as he rushed past. 

"Excuse me -," Miyako questioned, but he paid no attention. 

"…He'll have my head!" Jyou exclaimed nervously as he exited one of the tents and quickly dashed into another. 

"Jyou?" Miyako tried, but he was gone. 

"Jyou, I'm sure it'll be fine," Sora was trying to console him, as she followed him into the tent a moment later. 

"…Somewhere," another doctor was saying as he rushed past Miyako into her tent and emerged a moment later. 

"Excuse me, sir," Hawkmon tried, politely, but there was still no response. 

"What's going on?" Miyako demanded, half-shouting, but still the frantic searchers paid no attention. 

"It would appear they're searching for something," Hawkmon stated. "But I haven't a clue what." 

"Whatever it is, it's very important. I haven't seen _anyone_ go in to see Daisuke. Yesterday there was a whole crowd of them," Miyako observed. "Maybe he knows what's going on." 

***

Tailmon fell, hard, to the ground after the fiery attack from the large red dinosaur. "Looks like he's brought the reinforcements," she observed, getting up again. Suddenly, she noticed that something felt  - different. Lighter. "My tail ring!" she gasped, looking backward to find the ornamental ring was gone. 

"Where did it go?" Patamon wondered, dodging one of the fireball attacks. 

"I don't know!" she shouted. "This is horrible." 

"Not so horrible as this," the Bakemon called, firing his attack. Quickly, both digimon dodged out of the way. 

"Tailmon!"

"Patamon!" 

"Hikari!" Tailmon shouted. "We've got to get out of here!" 

"It's all right, Tailmon," the girl assured her, holding up the egg shaped item. "Digimental up!" 

The digimental glowed brightly, and for a moment, there was nothing to be seen. "Tailmon armor evolve!" the feline digimon shouted from somewhere within the light. "Nefertimon!" The light faded, and a white, winged, four-legged creature emerged with armor on its feet and an armor mask over its face. 

"I've got one, too!" Takeru grinned triumphantly at his partner. "Digimental up!" 

Again there was a bright, glowing light. "Patamon armor evolve!" the tiny flying digimon shouted. "Pegasmon!" Again the light faded, and a golden-brown four-legged creature appeared with armor on its feet and wings on its back. 

Immediately, both the newly-formed digimon took to the air. "Ready?" Pegasmon shouted. 

"Ready!" Nefertimon called in response, flying past him. 

Together, they both called out: "Golden Noose!" and between them formed a large golden rope. Then they flew past the two Tyrannomon and the group of Bakemon and surrounded them with the rope. Tangled within the rope, the Tyrannomon tried desperately to break free, injuring the Bakemon. 

"Can't we set them free?" Hikari questioned. 

"I'm afraid that might have to wait," Nefertimon called as she landed on the ground beside her partner. "Company's arrived." 

Takeru glanced to the sky and noticed a group of about five Airdramon soaring towards them. "More Airdramon?" he questioned. 

"No, different ones," Hikari replied. "We'd better go. We're not strong enough, just two of us." 

"I'm not sure _who_ that guy is, but I have a feeling he's bad news," Pegasmon said, noting the figure atop one of the Airdramon. 

"We'll explain everything when we get back," Hikari promised, climbing on to her partner's back and holding tight. "Just trust me, we _don't_ want to tangle with him." 

"That's the Kaiser?" Takeru questioned, climbing aboard Pegasmon. "You said this was his territory."   
"It is," Nefertimon replied as they took to the air. "We've got to get back to the Village. Everything will be explained there."

***

Well, now the team is completed, but they're still down one. Will Daisuke recover enough to help the others? Will Takeru and Hikari be able to help enough? Will Taichi go _completely_ crazy with worrying about his sister? And how will everyone react when they learn who the Kaiser _really_ is? 

Still tons more to happen, and as usual, I don't know how it'll end! Keep reading, that's your only choice! Thanks to everyone for all the reviews! ^_^


	5. The Calm Before the Storm

In The Dark

Part Five: The Calm Before the Storm…

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Characters are not mine. Plot is. I'm getting _no_ money for the writing of this story. Digimon characters belong to Toei, etc. They can't have them back, because I've stolen them.

***

Miyako slipped into the tent quietly, so as not to disturb the sleeping occupants. To her surprise, however, there was only one, and he wasn't sleeping. Daisuke was sitting up, and it looked as though he was making an attempt to get out of bed. He'd swung both legs over the side of the cot he'd slept on and was peering with determination at the exit as if willing it to come closer. 

"Are you crazy?" Miyako blurted before she could stop herself, and Daisuke was so startled he fell backwards across the narrow cot. Not noticing his astonishment, Miyako walked around to the end of the bed. "You can't walk! You're lucky you're alive." 

With some effort, Daisuke pulled himself upward again, the slimness of the cot having caused his head to fall so that it was nearly touching the ground. Straightening himself again, he groaned from the stretching of his back. "I'm hungry," he protested. "And I haven't seen anyone all morning." 

"Anyone?" Miyako repeated blankly. "What happened to Hikari?" 

"I don't know," he replied, grumpy from the rude entrance, the pain in his back, and the hunger in his stomach. "I woke up a little while ago and she wasn't here. I expected someone to come in, see how I was, give me some _food_." Definite emphasis on the food. "I haven't seen anyone." 

V-mon peered out from his spot underneath the bed. "Don't suppose you've brought some food?" he questioned. 

"We haven't eaten either," Hawkmon explained with a sigh. 

"Why not?" 

"There's no one cooking," Miyako told them. "The camp is a total mess. Everyone's running around. It looks like they're looking for something. I couldn't get anyone to tell me why." 

Daisuke frowned. "That sounds serious. I'd better go out and get my own." He braced his arms against the cot as though he was about to attempt to stand. 

"I don't think so," Miyako intervened, stepping forward and placing her hands on his shoulders, preventing him from standing. "You can't walk! Are you crazy?"

Daisuke blinked. "I'm hungry!" he whined. "I can't stay in here and starve! My stomach will kill me before my leg does." 

Snorting, the girl took a step away and crossed her arms. "Fine, be stubborn. See how far you can get on your own."

"I will," he snapped in reply. 

"Daisuke -," V-mon began. 

"I'll be fine. I just need to get one foot on the ground and then I can limp if I need to, right?" he grinned with (somewhat false) confidence and put his good leg on the floor. 

"I'm not sure this is a good idea," V-mon tired again, hesitation in his voice. 

"I can do it. Not a problem," Daisuke said, waving his partner aside. He put his weight on the good leg, slowly managed to stand up, and…

Miyako winced as he shouted loudly, cursed under his breath, and sat down again, panting slightly. "You all right?" 

"Yeah," he lied, laying back on the cot and breathing heavily. "Maybe that hurt more than I thought it would." 

"You were hit with a full dose of Flymon stinger poison only two days ago," Hawkmon reminded him. "It's going to hurt for a while." 

"But I'm hungry!" Daisuke whined again. "I've got to get something to eat. And I want to know what's going on." He sat up again and folded his arms, pouting. 

Miyako laughed aloud, and held up a triumphant hand. "Wait here, I'll be right back," she told him, exiting the tent."

"This is going to be something of a problem," he mumbled after she'd left. "I came here to help out against the Kaiser. How am I supposed to fight if I can't even stand on my own two feet?" 

"I can still fight," V-mon reminded him, making a fist with his right arm and flexing it over his head. 

"I'm sure this is only a temporary situation," Hawkmon tried to assure the boy, hopping on to the bed and sitting beside him. "After all, now that the poison is out of your body, you'll be fine in no time." 

"I hope so," Daisuke sighed. "Still…" 

"Back!" Miyako cheered, entering the tent and carrying a tall stick with her. "I got this from Jyou's tent. Hopefully he won't mind if you borrow it." 

"What's it for?" V-mon asked, peering closely at the long, thin object. 

"Walking," Miyako replied. "See, if you lean on this instead of putting the weight on your bad leg, you can walk a little. Not far, but at least outside." 

Immediately, Daisuke looked a bit more cheerful, but still hesitant. "Are you sure?"

"Of course. Now, I'll help you stand up, and then you can lean on it for support, all right?" She stood beside him, offering an arm. 

"All right," he replied somewhat tentatively. Again, Daisuke put the weight of his right leg on the ground, this time careful not to put any weight on the injured appendage. 

"Good, now take this," Miyako handed him the stick. "And lean on it while you take a step." 

He took a deep breath, braced himself for the pain, and leaned on the stick. Slowly, he lifted his good leg and moved it forward. "It works!" he realized. "Miyako, this is great! Thank you so much!" 

Miyako blushed fiercely, and tried fiercely to hide it. "Come, we'll get some food." 

A few minutes later, with Miyako walking closely alongside in case of accidents or the need of more support, Daisuke emerged from the tent to see the confusion outside himself. By this point, the groups of frantic running doctors had been reduced, but the fire for cooking was still bare. Clouds were forming over head, indicating a possible rain shower in the future, which gave the camp a dismal feeling. 

"I see what you mean," he commented to Miyako, turning his head behind him. 

"What's that?" V-mon questioned, pointing to the sky. Two figures could be seen heading in their direction. 

"Airdramon?" Hawkmon theorized. 

"No, they're too small to be Airdramon," Miyako dismissed. 

"Whatever they are, they're coming this way," Daisuke noted. The two figures were descending into camp. 

As they got within sight of the camp, the doctors, nurses, and various other people about the area stopped to view the approaching flyers. For a moment, the hectic atmosphere of the Village was reduced as the digimon too peered at the sky. Before long, it became obvious that they were two flying, four-legged digimon with humans riding on them. And when they were closer, it was possible to identify the humans. 

"Takeru?" Yamato blinked, moving through the crowd to see his brother astride the brownish-gold creature. "What -?"

"Hikari?" Sora observed the girl on the white-colored digimon. Immediately the camp heaved a collective sigh. "Where have you been!?"  
"Getting my digimental," Hikari replied once they'd landed. As if to prove her statement, the digimon beside her glowed brightly and shrunk, de-evolving to Tailmon. The light immediately flew into her pocket, and then another light surrounded her digivice, changing it into one of the more oddly-shaped newer models, this one with a pink outer edge. 

"Same here," Takeru answered. "Sorry I didn't bring the carriage, Sora." The digimon beside him regressed to Patamon, and the light flew to his pocket. A moment later, his digivice was also transformed to the second type, with a green-colored edge.

"Digimental?" Yamato repeated. "But how did you get over there?" He pointed in the direction of the forest they'd flown out of. "You started from the palace. Over _there_." He pointed in the opposite direction. 

"I guess I got deterred a little?" Takeru tried. "I found a signal on my digivice, so I followed it. The Monochromon was slow and stubborn, and I had to abandon it in the woods because it was holding me back." 

"We weren't making much progress," Patamon nodded, landing comfortably atop his partner's head. 

"Hikari? You got one, too?" Miyako questioned. 

"Yes, I did," she nodded. "I got the signal this morning and had to follow it. I'm sorry to have worried you all."

"Follow it? Into the Kaiser's territory?" Sora clarified. She sighed. "If your brother were here, he'd…I don't want to even think about what he'd do. When you left the palace he went crazy!" 

Hikari sighed. "I know, I know. I'll explain everything to him. Later. I've got to stay here and help out though. Especially now that I have the digimental." 

"Which digimental?" Iori spoke up for the first time. He'd nearly been lost in the crowd of spectators, but, as usual, he got to the heart of the matter. 

"Hikari. Light," she replied with a grin, removing the strange object Koushiro had dubbed a digimental container from her pocket. "Makes sense, right?" 

"Mine's Kibou," Takeru spoke up. "Hope." 

"Like your crest," Hikari added. 

"Crest?" Yamato repeated dumbly. 

"When did you get a crest?" Miyako questioned.

"When we were fighting Nanomon," the boy replied, reaching for the string about his neck. "I guess I was so busy I forgot to tell anyone. But the symbol on here is the same as the one on the digimental." 

"A digimental _and_ a crest?" Sora wondered. "Is that possible?" 

"It must be," Yamato replied. "There are as many crests as digimentals. There have to be some of us that have both."  

"Well, the important thing is that now we've increased the team here by two," Miyako declared optimistically. "Now Takeru and Hikari can fight the Kaiser as well." 

"No, Miyako, that's not the important thing," Daisuke spoke for the first time from where he stood at the edge of the crowd, having been left behind in the rush. "The important thing is that I get some food!" 

***

Thankfully, in the camp's collection of people were a few who could turn a dead, day-old fish caught from a nearby river into a delicious meal. Shortly after the food was done cooking, the rain had started, causing everyone to retreat back to the safe dryness of the tents. 

Miyako had agreed to sit with Daisuke while he ate on the condition that he not attempt to walk for the remainder of the day. He'd grumbled about this for a bit, but eventually agreed simply because he wanted the company.

"At least the food's not bad," V-mon commented as he devoured his portion. He looked up at his partner, expecting to see a joyous expression of agreement, but he was barely eating his food. "Daisuke?"

"Something _must_ be wrong, He's not eating," Miyako noted, taking a bite of the fried fish. "What is it? You said you were starving." 

The boy looked up from his plate, appearing to be emerging from a state of deep thoughtfulness. "Nothing," he replied with a heavy sigh, glancing down at his plate and spearing another piece of fish. 

"That's possibly the worst lie I've ever heard," Miyako observed dryly, taking another bite of her own food. "You said you wanted me to sit and eat with you so you wouldn't be bored, but you're not very good company. So talk, all right?" 

Listlessly, Daisuke swallowed the piece of fish he'd just speared. "Eh," he replied listlessly with his mouth full, and reached for another, shrugging.

Miyako fixed him with a skeptical glance. 

The boy twirled the food about on the stick he used for eating and heaved a deep sigh. "I'm just thinking," he explained, taking a small bite. "You know, serious thoughts." 

Miyako blinked and took another bite of fish. "Right." 

"I am." He swallowed the rest of his fish. "I'm just worried, that's all," he defended with his mouth half-full. 

"Now we're getting somewhere," Hawkmon observed. 

"Worried about what?" V-mon questioned with big eyes. His partner only shrugged. 

Miyako set her plate on the ground, having finished her meal. "Not what, V-mon. Who." 

"Who?" 

"Yes." 

"Who?" Hawkmon questioned. 

Miyako dramatically scratched her chin. "Hmm. Well, Hikari, I'd guess." 

Daisuke pushed a small fish-bone from one side of the plate to the other. 

"Or maybe about Ken." She stood up and strolled to the tent-flaps.

He set his half-full plate on the table beside the cot and leaned back, closing his eyes for a brief second. 

"Or maybe both." 

"Or maybe all that and more," Daisuke replied, peering intently at the fabric ceiling. There was silence for a moment except for the rain sounding on the tent and the ground outside. "Miyako?" 

Peering at the rain through the opening in the tent, Miyako didn't bother to turn around. "Yes?" she questioned instead. 

"You and Hikari are friends, right?" 

Surprised at the apparent change of subject, the girl turned around and fixed him with a concerned glance. When he didn't turn away from his examination of the ceiling, she spoke: "Yes…" she replied tentatively. "Why?" 

Before Daisuke could reply, the tent flaps parted, and Jyou entered, carrying a bag of medical supplies. "Well, looks like you're doing better," he commented in a cheerful voice. 

"Better enough to try walking around this afternoon," Hawkmon elaborated in a slightly lofty tone. 

"I saw," the doctor commented. "Let's look at it. Does it hurt?" 

Daisuke shrugged slightly. "Only when I put weight on it." 

"Precisely the reason why you shouldn't walk," Hawkmon stated. The injured boy only shrugged as he rolled up the leg of his pants and allowed the doctor to remove the bandage. 

Miyako peered inquisitively over Jyou's shoulder as he removed the last of the fabric. "It looks a little better," she observed, glancing back towards Daisuke, who was trying not to look. 

"Does it?" he asked in a conversational tone, having turned his gaze to the ceiling again. 

"It does indeed," Jyou nodded in agreement as he opened his bag. "Just a few more days and you should be back to normal." He searched through his bag for a moment and produced a small bottle of healing salve and a fresh bandage. 

"That sounds good," V-mon noted, nodding cheerfully. He glanced towards his partner in expectance of some sort of agreement, but now Daisuke was making a face of exaggerated pain while the cold liquid poured onto the wound. 

"Hurts?" Miyako questioned. 

"Just a…little," he replied, voice strained slightly. "Not… too bad." 

"As long as you stay off this leg, there should be no problems," Jyou assured him as he wrapped the fresh bandage. "The poison appears to be all gone, and the wound just needs a few days to close up again." He shut the bag he'd carried in and stood up, ready to leave. 

"Thanks, Jyou," Miyako said, since Daisuke didn't appear to be in the mood for talking. 

"My pleasure," the doctor replied cheerfully as he exited. "Oh, excuse me." 

Hikari, entering the tent, stepped to the side to allow him to leave. "Doing better?" she questioned of no one in particular. 

"Much," Miyako noted. "Just stubbornness remains." 

"Stubbornness?" 

"Yes," she replied with a sigh. "You talk to him. He was starving before, but now he doesn't want to eat." She waved her arms in an exaggerated expression of exasperation. "I don't know _what_ to do." With that, she left the tent, carrying her own empty plate.

"Won't eat?" Hikari questioned, taking a step towards the boy, who was now pulling the leg of his pants down over the re-bandaged wound. "Why not?" 

Daisuke, still apparently not in a talking mood, shrugged and leaned back again in the bed. "I guess I'm not as hungry as I thought I was," he stated by way of explanation – a rather pitiful explanation at that. 

"I'll eat it if you don't want it," V-mon offered. Daisuke shrugged, about to offer the plate to his partner, but Hikari shook her head. 

"No, no, V-mon. He'll eat it." 

"He will?" the blue digimon questioned skeptically. 

"Yes. I think there's more outside, though, if you want to look." 

"Yeah! I will." Immediately, a flash of blue zipped by as V-mon went searching for more food. 

"There's no point in wasting food, you know," Daisuke commented, intrigued at the conversation that had just taken place. 

"We're not going to waste it. You're going to eat it." 

"I'm not hungry," he replied, a frown appearing on his face. Again, he lay back on the cot and peered at the ceiling. Hikari laughed slightly, and he moved one eye to look curiously at her. 

"I haven't seen you this stubborn since you were a child," she observed. "Remember? When you were about twelve? You used to get into these silly arguments with Takeru about the most trivial things. Not wanting him to touch your things, who got to go first when you played a game. Every little thing would erupt into an argument." 

Still apparently not wanting to converse, Daisuke just frowned and peered above him again. "This has nothing to do with Takeru," he said after a moment's silence. 

Hikari nodded. "No, and none of those other arguments did, either." 

There was another silence. Rain pattered on the roof of the tent. In the distance, a clap of thunder could be heard. A few seconds later, a flash of lightning lit up the tent. 

"What happened today?" Daisuke questioned then, sitting up.

Seeing the question as an eagerness to converse, Hikari decided the question was a positive sign. "I went searching for the digimental," she replied. 

"And you found it, right?" 

She nodded. "Yes. Digimental Hikari." She removed from her pocket the newly-transformed digivice and showed it to him. 

"Well, I guess it was easy to figure out it was yours, then," he observed, smiling slightly for the first time that day.

***

When the sun rose again, Miyako found that the camp was finally back together. After the tumultuous rainstorm the evening before, branches and leaves were scattered about the campsite. A few digimon had been injured by flying debris, and as usual the doctors were running about trying to help the refugees. There were luckily no serious injuries or damage. All the tents were still in good condition except for one which had sprung a leak in the roof after a collision with a sharp stone. The inhabitants had quickly commenced repairs, though, and the damage wasn't too bad.

The best part about the new day, Miyako noted, was that there was food. A few of the campsite's residents had shown talent for cooking, and therefore had been assigned to 'food duty,' and were required to feed the rest of them. It was a daunting task, since not only the five Chosen and their partners, but also a dozen doctors, as many nurses, and a few students also had to be provided with food. Each day, several were selected to trek to a nearby river and attempt to gather some fish. 

Despite the absence of the carriage Takeru had been asked to bring, Yamato and Sora were both planning to leave that day after the morning meal. Sora spoke to Hikari that morning, and so while the others ate, the Princess was busy composing a letter to her older, slightly overprotective sibling. Miyako didn't envy the task of trying to make the adventures she'd been through sound reassuring. 

Since the weather was nice, the majority of the camp's residence was eating outside. Seated on logs and stones, they chatted animatedly as they ate. Takeru was giving Iori, Armadimon, and a few of the doctors a description of what had happened the day before, complete with wide, sweeping hand gestures and a few sound effects. Miyako chuckled slightly as she heard the description. 

Jyou and Yamato were having a more subdued conversation a few stones away. The doctor was attempting to list the things that he felt they might need more of. After the immensely frightening experience of discovering there was no Flymon poison antidote, Jyou was determined not to be out of _anything_. Yamato was attempting to scribble the listed items on a pad and eat at the same time. 

Miyako carried the two plates of food into the only remaining occupied tent. Daisuke was playing with a deck of cards. Despite the fact that he had no idea of how to play a solitaire game and no opponent, he was managing to keep himself amused with some success, but he looked quite cheerful when Miyako entered. 

"All right! I was wondering if someone would bring food," he stated triumphantly, immediately forgetting the card 'game' for the moment. 

"If you're sure you _want_ it this time," Miyako warned him, setting the plate on the table beside the cot. "Because if you're going to be a pain again, I'm going to go back out there and eat with the others." 

"No, no, I want it," Daisuke assured her, taking the plate and immediately beginning to devour the food. "I'm starved." 

"Yes, that's what you told me last night," she replied. "What brings about the change in attitude?" 

He shrugged, mouth full of food.

***

"Are you sure it's wise to go in there with so few of us?" Takeru questioned, peering uneasily at the forest in front of him. 

"There were only three of us the last time," Miyako reminded him. 

"Yes, and look what happened," Hawkmon pointed out. 

"I'm sure it'll be fine as long as we stick together," Hikari stated optimistically. "After all, you and I made it out alive yesterday, didn't we?" 

Takeru looked only slightly assured. 

"We don't really have much of an option," Iori reminded the older boy. "If we need to free the enslaved digimon and defeat the Kaiser, we need to eventually go into his territory." 

"Either that or wait around for him to attack _us_," Armadimon nodded. 

Miyako shuddered. "Let's just…not think about that, shall we?" she asked, and stepped into the forest. 

*** 

Mimi had received an urgent message. Very urgent. Jyou had been entrusted with the task of writing the letter, and every word dripped urgency. The writing was scribbled, difficult to read, and filled with minor grammatical and spelling errors – much unlike the doctor's usual style. All Mimi was able to gain from the letter was something about Primary Village. 

Being somewhat intelligent and lacking more pertinent information, Mimi decided that the best way to discover just _what_ the urgent matter was would be to travel directly to the village. This time, she took a traveling companion – her mother – who had seen little of her daughter lately and was unwilling to permit her to travel an extensive distance full of danger all by herself. 

Still a half-day's ride from the village, Mimi continued heading south. The easterly route they traveled had bypassed the palace altogether, and made the trip to the Village much shorter, though still several days long. 

"I certainly hope that whatever this urgency is, it's not dangerous," Lady Tachikawa had commented when they embarked.

"Worry not, mother," Mimi had replied. "I'm certain there will be no danger involved." She'd stolen a secretive glance at her partner, however. She and Palmon had been in enough danger already. There was no guarantee that the mysterious message did not involve some sort of danger. But Mimi knew her mother, and therefore had kept the danger element from the accounts of her adventures as a Chosen. 

Truthfully, Mimi fully expected there to be danger involved. She recalled a conversation she'd had with Gennai, the old hermit, about the nature of being Chosen. The strange little man had said that the reason they were chosen was to fight an enemy. At the time, she'd thought the enemy to be the former King, but the old man had disagreed. 

_'You'll have to fight many threats_,' Gennai had told her. Mimi shuddered slightly at the memory. 

_Oh yes_, she thought_. This would most likely be_ quite _dangerous._

***

Daisuke didn't ordinarily occupy himself with reading. Though he considered it an enjoyable enough pastime, he was usually more content to be _doing_ something. However, thanks to his recent injury, it was virtually impossible for him to walk without excruciating amounts of pain. As the rest of the camp was currently busy in some way or another, he turned to one of the few things he could do. 

Thankfully, it was interesting reading. He'd borrowed the book from Miyako, who, upon learning of her talents in the area of magic, had borrowed it from Koushiro. It was an old book about legends of digimon, with woefully inaccurate and second-hand descriptions of the first Chosen who'd appeared hundreds of years earlier. 

As with most of the books the wizard possessed before locating the secret roomful of hidden knowledge in the palace, this particular volume treated the Chosen, digivices, digimentals, crests, and the like as mere myths. The writer of the book was obviously unconvinced of the truth of the legends, as evidenced by the condescending tone with which it was written, but apparently thought them interesting enough to research many years worth of old documents in order to compile the book. 

Skimming through the boring parts and searching for information on his own digimental, courage, Daisuke found an interesting page. Each of the nine attributes which characterized the crests and digimentals was listed, and the symbol was crudely drawn beside each description one. He was eagerly examining each one, when his partner, having grown tired of napping, hopped onto the cot beside him. 

"What's that?" V-mon questioned, peering over his shoulder. 

"A book," Daisuke replied, lowering the volume so the blue digimon could peer at the drawings. "See? These are the symbols that the crests and digimentals have."

"That one looks like yours," his partner observed, pointing towards the symbol of courage. 

"Yes, and Taichi has that crest," Daisuke nodded. "And then there's friendship, that's Yamato's crest, and love, that's Sora's."

"And Miyako's digimental, right?" 

"Exactly." He turned the page to the second set of illustrations. "That's purity, which belongs to Mimi. Knowledge, that's Koushiro and Iori." 

"Pretty," V-mon commented regarding the fanciful illustration of the symbol of Junshin, a tear-shaped symbol with an inner circle. 

"Then there's Faith, that's Jyou," Daisuke stated, finishing that page and turning again. The next page only held two. 

"Hope and Light," the blue digimon read, observing the symbols that Hikari and Takeru had found only the day before. He peered at his partner curiously. "Does that mean that all the crests and digimentals were found?" 

"No, there's no crest of Hikari yet," Daisuke replied. "The other digimentals we've found; courage, love, and knowledge; has a crest that matches. If there's a digimental of light, there must be a crest of light, too." He frowned slightly. "I wonder why Hikari found the digimental before the crest." 

"You found the digimental of courage before Taichi found the crest," V-mon reminded his partner. 

"Yes, but we're two different people. Hikari most likely has the crest of Hikari if she also has the digimental. So why not find the crest first?" Daisuke leaned back slightly to think. "Perhaps because the crest is more powerful? And not needed yet?" 

"But then why would the others have found their crests already?" V-mon climbed onto his partner's lap and peered at the symbols on the page. 

Daisuke sighed and shut his eyes, beginning to feel tired. "I don't know. Maybe the crest of light is different?" He yawned. 

"Different how?" V-mon wasn't willing to let the debate end just yet. He flipped a page backwards to peer at the descriptions of the crests. 

"I don't know," the boy admitted. "It is a weird attribute, you know. It's easy to feel courage or friendship, or love. Or to show knowledge or purity or friendship. But how do you feel light? Or show it? And what, exactly, does that mean?" He yawned again. "I guess Hikari will have to figure that out herself." 

"I guess." V-mon's interest in the subject was waning. His mind wandered as he flipped past the pages Daisuke had been reading, looking for more illustrations. "Hey -."

"What?" his partner questioned in a sleepy voice, eyes still closed. 

"No one's found _this_ crest yet," V-mon stated, pointing at the illustration. An entire page had been dedicated to information about _that_ attribute. "Looks like it's important." 

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Daisuke forced his eyes open and sat up. "Kindness?" 

***

Miyako peered through the dense trees. The silence around was overwhelming. There was no noise from wild digimon or humans. Her companions, too, were silent, unmoving. 

"I don't like the feel of this place," Hikari remarked. This was not the first time she'd thought this, though it was the first time she'd stated such aloud. 

"Agreed," Takeru nodded. His eyes were darting about him, ever alert, as though he was waiting for something to lurch from the woods and attack them. "It's too quiet." 

"See anything, Miyako?" Iori questioned, peering at the older, taller girl. 

"Nothing yet," she replied after a moment of contemplative silence. "The dark tower must be pretty far away." 

"Is it possible the magic could be concealed from view?" Takeru questioned. Having nearly no knowledge of magic, he had no choice but to risk sounding unintelligent and ask the question. 

"I'm not sure," Miyako admitted. Still new to the field of magic, she was only slightly more knowledgeable than Takeru. "I suppose it's possible." 

"We should pick a direction to go," Tailmon stated. A practical digimon, Tailmon spent little time contemplating things that could have been. Debating on magic was pointless at the time, but finding some place to go was a practical decision. 

Hikari agreed, though she generally tried to smooth over the edges a bit more than her partner. "Do you see any dark magic at all, Miyako?" she asked instead. 

Miyako sighed. "There's dark magic all over the place," she explained. "The problem is that I can't tell which direction it's coming from. We need to find a tower that's close by in order to knock it down. But if I don't know where the magic comes from…" she trailed off, shrugging. 

"I guess we should just flip a coin then," Takeru sighed. "Anyone have any preference?"   
No one did, so a coin was flipped, and the party headed north along the edge of the forest.

***

Suspense! I love cliffhangers. Sure you do, too! Sorry for the delay in this chapter. I meant to have it out a week or so ago, but the darn site went down…great timing, guys! 

Anyway, obviously there are a few things that are going to happen coming up. Mimi joins the story, as I'm sure you can see, and so naturally she needs to stumble into danger. When will Daisuke finally get back on his feet? And will Taichi really sit back and let his sister do all the work? Will Miyako be able to use some magic eventually? All this will, I promise, eventually be answered, and more! Stay tuned, and thanks for all the great reviews. 

On a side note, apologies to Anthony for saying I'd review his story and then not doing it. Sorry! I've just been so busy, but I'll get around to it soon, I promise. Tomorrow I'm off on a five-day vacation, but I promise I'll read it as soon as I get back! Sorry again! ^_^


	6. The Storm of Sound

In the Dark

Part Six: Storm of Sound

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Is Digimon mine? You tell me. If it was, would I be writing fanfiction about it? Somehow I doubt this. Yet, since things must _always_ be spelled out, here's the disclaimer. Characters – not mine. Plot – is mine. Don't steal, don't sue. Thanks! 

***

Mimi peered listlessly out the window. She felt  as though she had been traveling for much longer than the three days they'd been on the road. "I hope it's not too much farther," she commented, yawning. 

Lady Tachikawa was consulting a map. "I don't _think_ so," she replied, peering with some confusion at the worn piece of paper. "But this thing is so hard to read." 

"Let me see," Mimi offered, taking the map. She peered at it for a few moments, but, the symbols and lines made very little sense to her. "Where did we start from?" 

"I'm not sure," her mother replied. She pointed at a smudge in the upper left hand corner of the map. "I'm fairly certain that's where we live." 

"The palace is in the center of the kingdom, isn't it?" Mimi wondered. After some amount of searching, she found the blob which identified the capital city of Yagami. The castle lie outside what had once been a bustling metropolis. Now, unfortunately, the city which bore the same name as its' country was only a medium-sized village. The kingdom had fallen on hard times in the years since her birth, and Mimi sighed in thought, remembering descriptions of how the capital city had once been. 

Before she could attempt to make anymore progress with the map, however, there was a bump and the carriage came to an abrupt halt. Jolted from her daydreams of glorious cities, Mimi opened the door of the carriage. "Are we here yet?" 

"I – don't think so," Palmon stated, peering out the door. A group of strange-looking green digimon peered at them. Though small, there appeared to be many of them, and the small group was far outnumbered. 

"Sorry for the stop, milady," the driver called from his perch at the top of the carriage. "I couldn't drive on, they've blocked the road." 

Lady Tachikawa peered over her daughter's shoulder. "What – are they?" she questioned in a low voice, trying not to appear rude. 

Floramon, the lady's partner, was at least able to answer that question. "Geckomon." 

"Are they dangerous?" Mimi questioned, a serious expression on her face. _'Here's that danger,_' she thought. 

"No, not usually," the flowery digimon replied. "They're usually very peaceful. They sing – that's what _they_ call it anyway – and sit around all day. Ordinarily, they're also shy." 

"Looks like these might just be the exception to the rule," Palmon noted, frowning and adopting a similar expression as her partner. 

Carefully, Mimi stepped from the carriage, smiling pleasantly. "Is there something wrong?" she questioned the group. 

The Geckomon didn't respond. They simply remained in place, peering at the carriage steadily. Mimi shivered. 

"Hello," Palmon tried. "We're passing through the area. You wouldn't mind telling us the way to Primary Village, would you?" 

There was a long moment of silence as none of the Geckomon bothered to respond. Mimi coughed softly and sighed. 

"You'd do best to leave," one of the creatures said suddenly. "In fact, it would be most advisable." 

"Leave?" Lady Tachikawa repeated in a wavering voice. "Why?"

As if in response, the group of digimon suddenly lost their silent, steady gaze. Strange expressions appeared on their faces, and Mimi thought she could see a flash of red in their eyes. "You are in the territory of the Digimon Kaiser. You have refused all attempts at peaceful communication. We have no choice but to attack." 

"Attack?" Floramon repeated, dazedly.

As one, the Geckomon stood in a line. "Crash Symphony!" they called. Visible sound waves emerged from the horns each one wore around its neck and attacked the helpless passers-by. Mimi and her mother were thrown to the ground back by the force of the waves, and the carriage they'd ridden in was overturned.

***

Daisuke peered curiously at the flower-shaped illustration of the crest of Kindness. "I don't remember this -," he stated, thoughtfully, but even as he said it, he knew it was a lie.

_'All the books have one thing in common. They refer to Kindness in the dark,'_ Koushiro had said. 

"I guess all the crests _haven't _been found, huh?" V-mon questioned. "It's pretty. I wonder who'll get that one." 

"Nine crests," Daisuke was saying, not paying the least bit of attention to his partner. He flipped back through the pages. "Courage, Friendship, Love, Purity, Knowledge, Faith, Hope, Light, Kindness. Kindness in the dark, Koushiro said."

"In the dark?" V-mon repeated. "What's that mean?" 

"I don't know," he admitted. He read the words beside the illustration. "_The crest or digimental of kindness was said to be the rarest of the nine, even more difficult to discover than the crest of light._" He paused for a moment, digesting those words before he continued. "_Various stories leave the kindness out of the required attributes, though it certainly plays a part in the legends. Often it's linked in some way to darkness_." 

"That doesn't make any sense," V-mon stated bluntly. "Kindness is a nice trait. How can it be connected to anything with darkness?" 

"I know," Daisuke agreed. "If there was a crest of, I don't know, hate, or even just strong dislike, that would make more sense. But how can _kindness_ be linked to darkness?" 

***

"Are we getting any closer to a tower?" Takeru questioned. They'd been walking for some time, and there was so far no sign of anything. 

"I think so," Miyako replied hesitantly while peering around her, trying to look for the source of the magic. 

"I _hope_ so," Hikari spoke up, shivering slightly. "This place is creepy." 

Before anyone could comment further, they heard a loud shriek coming from somewhere ahead of them. Miyako turned in the direction of the noise. "What was that?" 

There was little time for argument or debate. Whoever was in danger simply had to be helped. Within moments, the digimon (except Armadimon, because Digmon was too slow-moving to be of use in transportation) had evolved. Miyako grabbed Iori by the arm, and he grabbed his partner by the tail, and she pulled them both aboard Holsmon. "Follow the noise!" Takeru advised as he and Pegasmon took flight. 

It wasn't long before they saw the source of the problem. A crowd of small green creatures was surrounding an overturned carriage and throwing stones, fruit, sticks, and anything else they could find. 

"Geckomon?" Hikari questioned from the air when they could see. "But – they're usually harmless." 

"Usually," Takeru agreed with a nod and a frown. "But they're usually not under the Kaiser's control." 

"Are Geckomon very dangerous?" Miyako questioned, eyeing the curious creatures from the safety of her partner's back. 

"Not usually," Holsmon replied. "They're peace loving creatures who sing all day."   
"If you can call it singing," Armadimon commented with an expression of exaggerated pain. 

"Their sound can be used as a weapon as well," Nefertimon explained to Miyako's confused look. 

"If they're under the Kaiser's control, then the sound probably _will_ be used as a weapon," Hikari nodded. 

"Well, let's see if we can't free them. And help out whoever's in that carriage," Takeru decided. He was slightly pleased that they would be able to accomplish something without too much danger. After all, they _were_ only Geckomon. The others agreed to help, and a few moments later the group had landed safely on the ground. 

"Oh, you've come!" the voice which had previously been screaming for help wailed, and the rescuers turned to see Mimi, her mother, and their partners cowering behind their empty carriage. 

"Mimi?" Takeru blinked, surprised. 

"What are you doing here?" Miyako questioned rather bluntly. 

There was little time to explain precisely_ how _Mimi had arrived at the confrontation with the group of singing digimon, however, because the Geckomon had changed to their more powerful attack. 

As one, they fired their attack again, causing everyone to cover their ears and fall backwards again. "Crash Symphony!" 

"They call that singing?" Iori questioned of his partner, shouting over the noise. Armadimon merely shrugged in agreement 

"Now you see why I'm hiding!" Mimi explained in frustration as the others quickly scrambled around the overturned carriage to avoid the fruit and stones that were being hurled along with the noise. 

"Don't worry, Mimi, this shouldn't be much of a problem," Miyako told her. "Holsmon!" she called to her partner, who had taken to the air to avoid the attack. "Let's take care of these guys!" 

"Right!" Holsmon replied. "Tempest Wing!" The bird spun himself into a whirlwind, causing the Geckomon to break their tight formation. Several of them went flying into trees or each other, many more simply fell backwards. 

"Keep a lookout for the tower!" Takeru advised his partner, deciding that Pegasmon might be able to spot the source of the magic from the air. 

"Tower?" Lady Tachikawa repeated. 

"How did you manage to evolve?" Palmon questioned. "I tried, and I couldn't. Is something _wrong_ with me?" Tears appeared in her large green eyes. 

"No, it's the magic," Iori assured her. "The towers hold the dark magic which prevents the digimon from evolving." 

"Then why can they evolve?" Mimi asked, gesturing to the flying digimon.

"Because of the armor evolution," Armadimon replied. 

"I see it!" Nefertimon called from the air then, interrupting the conversation. "Rosetta Stone!" The flying quadruped then fired her attack, a large stone which appeared in a beam of light over her head. The attack felled a few trees, allowing those on the ground to view the tall black tower behind them. 

"Great job!" Hikari enthused, cheering her partner. 

"Now let's get rid of it!" Miyako agreed. Immediately, all three of the flying digimon prepared to launch their attacks. 

"Red Sun!" Holsmon shouted.

"Shooting Star!" Pegasmon cried out.

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon added her attack to the combination. 

"Samurai Tone!" a fourth, deeper voice, called out. The attacks were neutralized. 

"What the -?" Takeru questioned, covering his ears. 

"What – is that?" Miyako gasped over the sound. 

"Look! Over there!" Iori shouted over the noise, which died down a moment later. The youngest Chosen was pointing towards the tower. Between the digimon and the dark tower was a large, red digimon with a horn protruding from behind his head. 

"Who-?" Hikari questioned. 

"He's got a horn like a Geckomon," Takeru observed. "Are they related?" 

"They are," Armadimon spoke up. "That's Tonosama Geckomon."

"And he's _not_ on our side," Hikari added with a frown, pointing. "Look at that ring on his tail." 

"I think you'd better help out," Iori told his partner. "Digimental up!" 

"About time," Armadimon grumbled good naturedly. "Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!"

As Digmon ran out to join the fray – the other digimon having already engaged the massive creature in battle – a haunting, mocking laughter filled the air. "Don't think he'll help you any," the voice which matched the laughter taunted. "Tonosama Geckomon is at perfection level. A mere armor stage digimon cannot _possibly_ defeat him." 

"Oh, great, company," Takeru groaned sarcastically. "Just what we need." 

The Kaiser, complete with Airdramon entourage, had entered the scene.

***

"So who do you think would get the crest of Kindness?" V-mon questioned, not noticing the thoughtful look on his partner's face. "Maybe Hikari? She's pretty kind." 

"No," Daisuke replied absently. "Hikari will get the crest of Hikari. Just like the digimental. The crest would have to go to someone who didn't already have one." 

"So it would have to go to someone without a crest," V-mon echoed. He appeared thoughtful. "That would be you, Miyako, Iori, and Ken, right?" He turned to his partner for confirmation, but Daisuke was staring at his partner, eyes wide; mouth hanging open. "What?" the blue digimon question. 

"Ken. It must be Ken, then, right?" Daisuke stated. 

V-mon nodded. "Yeah…" He looked with concern at his partner, though. Daisuke had a strange look on his face.

***

Miyako blinked in surprise. Though she'd seen the work of the Kaiser, she'd never actually seen the being himself. Now, she turned in the direction of the voice and was astonished by several things. 

The first thing was obvious to everyone in the area, those who were controlled by the Kaiser, and those who were not. He had a powerful presence that meant it was impossible to ignore him. Miyako personally knew very few people who could command attention to themselves without even a word. Daisuke tried, she knew, but he didn't manage to grasp attention as easily as he wanted to. Even Taichi sometimes had difficulties in getting people to listen to him. No, the only other person she'd ever known with that sort of commanding presence was the former King, Taichi and Hikari's father. 

The second thing Miyako noticed was noticed by only her, and that was because of the sight of magic she possessed. The Kaiser was surrounded in a cloak of darkness like she'd never seen before, and she had experience with seeing darkness. She'd seen Demon, who had literally oozed darkness, and the cloud of tangible blackness that surrounded him when he'd appeared before them after the defeat of Devimon. But this Kaiser…

Miyako shuddered to look at him, and closed her eyes, but forced herself to turn back out of pure curiosity. The darkness which surrounded her enemy was enormous. There was almost no ordinary aura, just pure blackness. 

And Miyako thought another thing for a brief second, but pushed that out of her mind. 

"Miyako, you all right?" Hikari questioned, noticing her discomfort. She nodded, focusing her thoughts and turning back to the present. 

"Yes, I'm fine," she assured the other girl with a serious frown in the direction of the newcomer. "He's…"

"Good looking…" Mimi breathed. Hikari blinked. Takeru stared. Iori peered wide-eyed. Lady Tachikawa sighed and put her hand on her head. Palmon fell down in surprise. "What? He _is_." 

"Yeah," Miyako muttered low enough so only Hikari, standing beside her, could hear. "If you can ignore the cloud of darkness." 

"Cloud of -?" Hikari echoed blankly, and Miyako realized then that it must be the magic that enabled her to see it. 

"He is, then," she stated, nodding. 

"Is what?" Iori wondered, turning towards her. 

"A wizard. And a powerful one. I see an amazingly huge cloud of darkness around him. That means that his magic is very developed, very powerful, and very dark." Miyako shuddered. "This is not good." 

"No, it's not. We'd best retreat," Takeru decided. This situation was more dangerous than it  had originally appeared to be.

"I don't think that's going to be an option," Mimi told him, shaking her head with a sigh.

"In case you haven't noticed, we're way outnumbered," Iori agreed.

Hikari nodded "We've got to knock down that tower in some way, or else we'll never get out of here," she stated. "Until we destroy the tower, the Geckomon and the Tonosama Geckomon will continue to attack us."

"But our partners will never get to it as long as Tonosama Geckomon is in the way," Iori pointed out. "We can't free him if we can't get past him." 

There was silence for a moment, and then Lady Tachikawa spoke in a surprisingly calm voice: "Sounds like you'll need to use teamwork." 

Miyako nodded in agreement. "She's right. Holsmon! Attack from the front. Keep him distracted!" 

Iori called: "You, too, Digmon! Attack from the front!"

"Now Pegasmon and Nefertimon can fly behind him and try to destroy the tower," Hikari nodded, seeing the plan.

"Tonosama Geckomon! Guard that tower with your life!" the Kaiser was shouting from his perch atop the Airdramon. As yet he'd paid little heed to the intruders cowering behind the carriage, but that would change. 

Yes, that would _definitely_ change. 

***

Miyako winced in sympathetic expectant pain as her partner narrowly avoided a swing from the massive fist of Tonosama Geckomon. "Holsmon! Look out!" she called in warning as the giant red creature prepared to sound another blast. 

"Samurai Tone!" he called, and the sound waves were even more powerful than before. Mimi and Lady Tachikawa clutched tightly to the back of the carriage, trying desperately not to be blown away. The smaller Geckomon, also caught up in the sound, crashed into trees around them, wavering, unable to keep their feet on the ground either. 

"We – can't – keep – this – up – for long!" Takeru shouted, gripping tightly to a secure rock and trying to remain sedentary.

"That sound is too strong!" Iori agreed breathlessly, holding on to Takeru because there wasn't much else to hold on to. Miyako, prepared, had found a good space behind the carriage, but Hikari wasn't so lucky. She flew through the air and collided painfully with a tree. Grunting, she managed to grip the trunk and remain safe until the noise had ended. 

"There's _got_ to be something we can do," Iori frowned. He glanced up towards the Kaiser, but he didn't appear to have been affected by the noise. "How is that possible?" 

"How's what possible?" Takeru questioned, helping Hikari to stand again. 

"He wasn't affected at all?" Mimi blinked in surprise. "How did he do that?" 

"The magic that surrounds him," Miyako realized. "It's strong enough so that it forms a shield. I remember reading something about that. If I could remember how to form that shield…" She reached for the bag she'd brought with her and began searching through it. 

"Are you sure you can do that?" Hikari questioned, pulling a piece of tree bark from her skirts. "I mean, you've just started." 

Before anyone could respond to that statement, there was a loud noise against the side of the overturned carriage as the remaining Geckomon began to resume their rock and fruit throwing. The Kaiser was furious. 

"Don't attack with fruit, you incompetent fools!" he shouted. "I want them _destroyed_, not made into a salad!"

"Tongue attack!" one of the Geckomon attempted, trying to please its master. It ran around the side of the carriage and threw its long tongue out. The appendage secured itself to Hikari's leg and began to pull her from the safety of the carriage. 

"Hikari!" Takeru shouted, and grabbed her wrist, swearing under his breath as the Geckomon began to pull harder. 

"Takeru!" she shouted. "Help!" The tongue of a Geckomon around her ankle was _not _ a very pleasant experience. 

"I'll help," Iori volunteered, gripping the opposite wrist and pulling hard. 

"Finally, we're getting somewhere!" The Kaiser appeared somewhat more pleased. "Assist him, you idiots!" he ordered the other Geckomon. Immediately, several of the googly-eyed creatures went to help their comrade. Two more latched on to Hikari's ankle with their pink appendages, while several others tried to grab the others. 

Takeru cursed loudly, which was rather atypical for him, and dug his feet into the sand. "Pull…harder," he grunted between breaths. 

"Let…go of… her!" Mimi shouted, grabbing a few stones that had fallen nearby and heaving them in the direction of the Geckomon. "Disgusting creatures!" One of the stones bounced harmlessly off the head of the creature tugging, doing nothing to slow the apparently thick – headed digimon. 

Hikari was shouting loudly. "No! Takeru! I'm slipping!" He was loosing grip. 

"Hang on! Hang on!" Takeru shouted, his hands slipping from her wrists. "I'm not…letting…you go!" 

"Hold on!" Palmon shouted. "Poison Ivy!" Immediately, her 'fingers' extended to become vines, which she wrapped about Hikari's waist. Mimi, seeing the plan, grabbed her partner and helped to pull. Lady Tachikawa seized her daughter and pulled as well. 

"I've got it," Miyako shouted, who had been thumbing through a book throughout the commotion. 

"It'd better…help," Takeru grunted as he pulled. 

"Do it, Miyako!" Hikari shouted.

"This had better work," Miyako stated firmly, having found the page in question. After studying it for a few moments, she began to mimic the hand movements in the book and found that, to her surprise, they helped her aura to expand the way she wanted it. Raising her hands over her head, she let the book drop to the ground and moved the magic the way she wanted it to. 

The aura that naturally surrounded Miyako at most times was a mostly pale, with flashes of color. To those who could see it, it almost appeared like a bubble, which was mostly typical of those with magic. Now, she expanded this aura to be more like that in use as well as appearance. 

Pegasmon spotted an opening. Busy with trying to swat Digmon away from blasting his drills into his feet, Tonosama Geckomon was distracted enough to allow the flying digimon to fly around the giant creature's head and towards the tower ahead. "Shooting Star!" he shouted. 

At the same time, Tonosama Geckomon shouted. "Samurai Tone!" 

At precisely that moment, the lead Geckomon pulled harder than ever on Hikari's ankles.  Takeru's grip on her loosened, and he was unable to hold it. Jolted by the tug, he fell backwards into Iori, who fell on to Palmon. 

Who lost _her _grip as well. 

Takeru regained his feet almost at once. "No!" he shouted at the same instant the ear-shattering sound was unleashed by Tonosama Geckomon's attack. He covered his ears instinctively. 

"No!" Hikari shouted at the same time as Takeru. She was being pulled backwards, dragged along the ground. The huge sound filled her ears, and the Geckomon were flung forwards. 

But not that far forwards. "Huh?" one of them wondered, dazedly, as it crashed into an invisible wall. 

Hikari landed safely on the ground inside the invisible wall, the Geckomon's tongues having been dislodged in the crash. "What?" 

"Miyako!" Iori realized, noting that the wall was not, in fact, invisible. He could see it. The light reflected off of the dome surrounding them like light and a soap bubble. 

"You did it!" Mimi agreed cheerfully, but Miyako was concentrating, _hard_, on keeping the bubble shield maintained, and took part in none of the joy. 

It was at that moment that the tower cracked and fell down. And the noise stopped. 

"How is this…possible?" the Kaiser questioned, looking at his defeated forces. The Geckomon, freed from the dark rings that had enslaved them, were now lying about, looking dazed. Tonosama Geckomon was rubbing his head in confusion and looking as though he needed a nap. The dark tower was cracked in half, now lying broken like a felled tree. The Chosen were rejoicing. 

"How could they have…defeated me?" he wondered. But his confusion soon gave way to his more dominant emotion. Anger. "It will _not_ happen again," he stated, clenching his fist. "_This_ was a mistake. A fluke._ Next_ time," he decided, "They will be _crushed_." But he was not stupid enough to continue fighting when he had lost. A moment later, he was gone. 

Miyako dissolved the shield she'd been trying so hard to keep up, and then weakly put a hand to her head. "That was…hard," she sighed, and found herself feeling weak. Iori helped her to sit on the ground. 

"Miyako! Are you all right?" Hawkmon questioned, having de-evolved after the tower's demise and Tonosama Geckomon had decided taking a nap was more interesting. 

"I'm just tired," the young magic-user replied. "That was hard." 

"You've used up most of your magical energy," Iori nodded, having some knowledge of these things. "It'll probably take you awhile to get it back. We should get back to the Village so we can all rest." 

Takeru was helping Hikari to stand. "I think the Kaiser's admitted his defeat," he observed, looking about. 

"Oh yes, he's smart enough to know when he's been beaten," one of the Geckomon spoke up. "We're sorry for attacking you like that. Don't know what came over us." 

"Oh it's quite all right," Mimi assured them pleasantly. "You really weren't in control of yourselves." 

"Yes, the Digimon Kaiser was controlling you," Hikari told them. "I think it would be best if you left this area for the time being. I don't think he's likely to leave you be." 

"Sounds like a plan," the Geckomon agreed. 

***

And so, it wasn't too much longer that Daisuke and V-mon, having made their way to an outside seat, were greeted with the sight of their return. Mimi and Lady Tachikawa were having an animated conversation with several Geckomon, and Floramon and Palmon were speaking with another group. Takeru was helping Hikari to walk, as her ankle had been twisted while she was used as a rope in a tug-of war game. Iori was helping a rather tired-looking Miyako. And the entire group was followed by a large, very sleepy Tonosama Geckomon. 

Jyou, who had just stopped by Daisuke's spot to ask if he needed help getting inside for the night, saw the group and nearly fainted. In the dim light of the setting sun, he wondered if he might be seeing things, but Gomamon told him that he was quite sane. 

***

Miyako slept straight through the morning and woke up at midday. She had a headache and a half, which Iori had told her to expect, but didn't make her feel any better. When she awoke, she found that Hikari was sitting in the cot beside her own, reading one of the magic books. 

"You all right?" Hikari questioned, setting the book aside. 

"Yeah, I think so. Just tired. My head hurts a lot." Groaning, she rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head. 

"Iori told me some tea might help you. Do you want some?" she offered. 

Miyako peered from behind the pillow. "Yes, I think that might help," she agreed, rolling over. "How are the Geckomon?" 

"Searching out new territory," Hikari replied, signaling to her partner. "Not too many of them were injured, but they're going to stick around camp for a bit. Apparently Tonosama Geckomon is not used to being awake for extended periods of time, and needs to nap after the exercise we gave him yesterday."

"Ah. Doing better, I see?" Jyou questioned, stepping into the tent with the requested tea. 

"Much. Just a killer headache," Miyako replied, sipping the tea. "I didn't think that spell was going to drain me so much." 

Jyou sighed and shook his head. "I didn't either," he agreed. "And I think I'm the wrong person to ask for advice on magical subjects. If you're going to continue using magic, this is probably what to expect." 

"But there isn't anyone around with magic," Hikari reminded him. 

"Iori's helpful, but he doesn't know much," Miyako agreed. "If I was still at the palace, Koushiro could help, but…" she broke off, shrugging and sipping more of the tea. 

"I'll see if I can't convince him to come here," Jyou decided. "Some of the doctors are returning to the palace this afternoon with Mimi and Lady Tachikawa. I'll send a message with them. It won't be easy, mind you. Koushiro's not one for traveling. But I'm sure he'll agree to help." 

"Would you?" Miyako asked. "That would be so helpful. That was the first time I'd ever tried a formal spell, and I know I'm going to need to use it more." 

"I shall do my best," the doctor promised. "Oh, if you ladies don't mind, I believe you have a visitor." With that, he was gone. 

"Visitor?" Hikari repeated. 

"Actually, two visitors," came Takeru's voice from the entrance. "Do you mind, or are we intruding on some 'girl time'?" His tone was cheerful and teasing, and he poked his head through the entrance flaps. 

"No, no, come in," Hikari waved to him, grinning. "Girl time has been suspended for the moment." 

"Good, I need some entertainment," Miyako agreed, headache fading somewhat. Takeru nodded, ducked his head out again, and came in the rest of the way, helping Daisuke to walk behind him. 

"I thought you weren't supposed to be walking!" Hikari scolded, standing up and taking his other arm. 

"I'm fine, just a little sore," he replied. His tone was of annoyance, but he was smiling, and Miyako could see that he was pleased at least with the attention. 

"Oh, don't be silly. Sit. Walking about like that. And you, helping him!" she scolded Takeru. "Have you lost your mind?" 

Takeru put both hands up in defense. "Don't blame me, he forced me!" 

Daisuke shrugged. "I was bored," he replied. "And this book needed returning." He held up the magic book he'd borrowed. 

"Ah. Thank you," Miyako nodded, reaching across the cot to take it from him. "Anything interesting?" 

"Oh, some," he answered in a casual voice, but cast her a significant glance. Miyako, used to reading un-spoken glances even before she'd discovered magic, nodded in response. 

"Forced you, eh?" Hikari questioned of Takeru. "I'm betting you didn't put up much of a fight." 

"Well, no," he admitted, and glanced sideways at the other boy. "I didn't think it would be fair to fight when I had an unfair advantage." 

***

Late that night, Daisuke found he couldn't sleep. He'd tried for quite some time, but his own uneasy mind and the sound of the Geckomon camped outside his tent made it impossible for him to drift off. Restless, he tossed around in his cot for a while, and then gave up entirely. 

There was no one to help him with his walking, but as his leg was slowly healing, Daisuke was certain he could make at least outside without too much trouble. As Takeru now shared his tent, he moved slowly to avoid making too much noise and waking him. Takeru might be an easy-going and cheerful person, but who knew what could happen to that demeanor if he were to be awakened abruptly and unnecessarily in the middle of the night. 

Outside, Daisuke could see a few lights lit in a tent not too far from his own, and reasoned that some of the doctors were awake, talking. He took a few steps away from his tent and nearly tripped over some Geckomon that had made their beds on the ground. Near the communal campfire at the center of the circle of tents, some other Geckomon and a few doctors and nurses were talking loudly. 

_'Better keep it down or they'll wake someone,_' Daisuke thought with a sigh, and turned to walk towards the outskirts of camp. With a million thoughts rushing through his head, carousing with Geckomon was not his idea of a good time. 

"Can't they learn to be quiet?" a female voice from somewhere nearby grumbled, and he mentally patted himself on the back. 

"Most likely," he mumbled softly. "But it'll be hard to teach them." 

A shadow moved in front of him, and suddenly he was aware that the voice that had spoken had heard his response. She turned, and he was able to make out the outline of her face, and then he realized that he was closer to her than he'd thought. Cautiously, he took a step back. 

"Daisuke?" the voice questioned, and that and the face before him came together. "What on earth are you doing outside?" 

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Couldn't sleep," he replied. "What are you doing, Miyako?" 

"Never mind that. We need to talk." She reached out and grabbed his arm, starting to lead him to the edge of camp. 

"We do." He nodded in agreement, and followed behind her. A few minutes later, just past the circle of tents, they were seated in the grass and peering at the stars. 

"I came looking for you because I think whatever it is you have to tell me shouldn't be told to me in front of Hikari and Takeru. Am I right?" 

Daisuke sighed. "They'll need to know eventually. And I could be wrong, you know. I don't want to alarm anyone. I just want you to know first." 

There was silence for a few moments as Miyako laid in the grass and peered at the stars. Then she sat up, sighed, and looked at her bare toes in the grass. "It's about Ken, isn't it?" she asked softly, her voice barely above a whisper. 

With another sigh, he fell back in the grass, leaning on his arms. "Yes." He waited a moment to see if she had more to say. When she didn't, he continued. "Do you remember what Koushiro told us about the crest of Kindness?" 

She frowned slightly, and he squinted in the dim light to see her expression. "That it was in the dark…," she replied slowly. "I never understood…what that meant." Turning her head, she peered steadily at the boy in the grass. "You think…"

"That Ken has that crest. Yes." 

Miyako shifted so she was facing him. "Are you sure?" 

He nodded, sitting up. "Nine crests, the book said. Koushiro said. Courage, Friendship, Love, Purity, Knowledge, Faith, Hope, Light, Kindness. With Hikari and Takeru getting Light and Hope, that means there's only one left that's unclaimed. And Ken _did_ get a digivice, which means he _must_ be Chosen." 

"So he must have that crest," Miyako finished. She sighed deeply and lay down in the grass again. "Wherever he is now…"

"He's probably in danger. Or pain. Whatever _'_'_in the dark'_ is supposed to mean." He shrugged slightly, but not from lack of concern. 

There was a moment thoughtful of silence. "What if…it has to do with magic?" Miyako wondered. 

"What do you mean?" 

"What if, _'in the dark'_ means something to do with…dark magic?"

***

Lotsa stuff happening in this chapter to make up for the fact that there hasn't been a new chapter in….::counts on fingers:: Oh, never mind, I can't count that high. And it wasn't my fault, really! Honest! 

All right! So Miyako gets to use some magic in this part, and a big battle scene. Will the Geckomon ever find a new home? And just _when _do they figure out everything? Expect a few of these questions answered in the next chapter, and a few more asked! 

Hopefully, ff.n will stay up for a little while, now…. Thanks for the reviews, see ya soon! 


	7. Magical Answers

In the Dark 

Part Seven: Magical Answers

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: You know the drill by now. This story is mine and the characters aren't. Don't steal, don't sue. Thanks.

***

Yamato pushed open the door and stood in the doorway. Early morning meant that the palace was still dark, but in the dim light of the rising sun he could make out a familiar silhouette against the window. "Brooding again, I see," he observed. 

Taichi didn't bother to turn around or to deny the charge as he usually did. "Couldn't sleep," he replied in a tired voice. 

"So I gathered," Yamato nodded. "I haven't slept much myself." He shut the door behind him and crossed the room to stand beside his friend at the window. "Too cold to stand outside?" 

The other nodded absently. "I keep having these…conflicting feelings," he attempted to explain. 

"Oh?" the blond prompted him to continue.

With a sigh, Taichi turned away from the large window and sat on his bed. "I sometimes have these…hunches, you know? Like that something should be done." 

Yamato nodded, understanding. "Yes…Takeru said you told him to head to the village because you thought he'd be needed." 

The brown haired boy nodded. "And he was, wasn't he? He found his digimental."

"Yes, which was good. Is this what you're brooding about?" Yamato questioned skeptically. 

"No, no," Taichi waved a hand and stood up, searching about the mess of his sleeping quarters for a clean shirt. "I have this feeling that Hikari's in danger…and that I should be there." 

The other boy removed a shirt from the floor beside his feet and handed to him. "_I_ have a feeling that's not a good idea," he replied prudently. 

Taichi took the shirt and studied it for a moment. "Yes, and my logical sense agrees with you. So I wonder if this hunch is one of those hunches I should follow, or if it's just me being worried. And how in the world do I tell the difference?" 

Yamato thought about this for a moment while the other boy pulled off his nightshirt. "I'm not sure," he replied after a moment. "I want to be with Takeru, too, but I know that I'm of no use there." He frowned and crossed his arms. "Still, I don't have these hunches the way you do, you know." 

Taichi, voice muffled under the nightshirt as he pulled it over his head, agreed: "I know," he said. "They seem to be one of those things…"

"Things?" Yamato questioned, confused.

Buttoning his new shirt, the other boy turned back around and nodded. "Yeah, you know. One of those things that are weird and can't be explained even by magic. It's just you being weird, right?" 

Yamato shrugged. "If you say so." 

"I do," Taichi nodded with an impish grin and peered around the room again. "Do I have any pants?" 

***

Mimi arrived at the palace in the early morning. After a short nap and long goodbyes to the Geckomon, she and her mother had set out before the green digimon could begin their triumphant partying; having recovered their carriage. Now she tapped on a large, thick wooden door located in the lower levels of the castle. 

Although the sun was barely up, she wasn't concerned about disturbing the occupant of this room, because most likely he'd not bothered to sleep. After she got no response to the light tap, Mimi pounded hard with a fist. "Koushiro, I know you're in there!" she called. 

There was a crashing noise and a shuffling, followed by a groan. "Come in, Mimi," Koushiro's voice called, sounding rather strained. 

Concerned about what she would find, she cautiously pushed open the door and peered in. The lab appeared to be safe, though cluttered as usual, and Koushiro was rearranging a pile of books. "Do you ever bother to have this cleaned?" Mimi wondered by way of a greeting. 

"Nice to see you, too," Koushiro replied, taking no note of the thinly veiled insult. "Just get in?" 

"I did," she nodded. "Mother and I have some interesting news to report, but I need to deliver a message, first." 

"Interesting news?" the wizard wondered, and Mimi noted his eyebrows raise. She shook her head, however. 

"No, no. Official channels first," she scolded playfully. "We shall tell our fearless leader before we tell you." 

"Of course, of course," Koushiro replied, understanding now the game that she was playing. "Even though he'll most likely tell me after he finds out." 

"Don't be so certain of that," Mimi replied, wagging a finger. Then she dropped the playful approach and fished into the pocket of her skirts. "This message is the information for _you_. It would appear your assistance is required." 

"My assistance?" Koushiro wondered. He took the paper from the girl and opened it slowly. 

She nodded. "It's from Miyako. Seems she's having magic troubles. You're the best one to answer any questions she had, so I volunteered to deliver the note." 

"Hmm," he replied, only half-paying attention as he scanned the letter. 

***

Taichi gaped in astonishment. "_You_ want to go to the Village?" he questioned. "But – why?" 

"Something's happened there that I'm needed for," the wizard replied. He held up the paper Miyako had sent. "Magic troubles." 

Frowning in confusion, Taichi took the page from Koushiro and quickly skimmed the words. Having heard the entire story of what had happened from Mimi, the request for magical assistance was not unexpected. "I see." 

Koushiro remained silent for a moment before he elaborated. "Miyako didn't get to delve very deeply into her magical training before she had to leave," he explained. "But I know her magic will be useful. It's imperative that she has some sort of assistance if they're going to be successful. She can't be expected to leave, because she's too valuable to the team." 

"So it would be best if you went there to help her," Taichi finished. He folded the paper and handed it back to the wizard, still frowning. He sighed deeply. 

Yamato, standing nearby, spoke up, turning to Mimi. "Miyako's certain the Kaiser's magic is powerful?" 

She nodded emphatically. "She said something about seeing a big cloud of darkness around him, and that his magic was very strong and developed. She had no doubt that he was a wizard. If you'd seen what that Tonosama Geckomon was able to do…" 

"He fired that horn and the entire area was torn asunder," Palmon agreed. "But the Kaiser's magic shielded him completely from the attacks. He just…stood there as though nothing had happened." 

Koushiro nodded slowly. "Her description sounds accurate," he agreed. "There's going to be magic involved in this fight." 

"We might have been killed if Miyako hadn't been able to produce that shield," Mimi added. 

"Shield?" Yamato echoed. 

"A magic shield?" Tentomon questioned from behind his partner. 

Mimi nodded. 

"What did it look like?" Koushiro asked impatiently.

"Sort of like a bubble, I think. Nearly invisible, but the light reflected off of it. And it was strong, as well. It kept the Geckomon from getting to Hikari," Mimi replied. 

"Getting… to Hikari…?" Taichi asked, slowly. Yamato noticed that he'd gone slightly pale. 

Mimi and Palmon exchanged nervous glances. "It wasn't serious," Mimi assured him hastily. "Just that a couple of the Geckomon… well, one of their attacks is to grab things with their long tongues…"  
"I have a feeling I know where this is going," Yamato interrupted. "They grabbed on to Hikari and pulled her away from the group?"

Palmon took up the story, nodding in response to his question. "We were in the middle of a tug of war. The other digimon were trying to destroy the tower, and Tonosama Geckomon was about to blast his horn again. Miyako started looking through a book when she noticed that he Kaiser's magic meant he wasn't affected by the attack. She managed to get the shield up, and Hikari was pulled inside, but the Geckomon were left outside." 

"How long was she able to hold the shield?" Koushiro asked, before Taichi could ask more about his sister. 

"A minute, maybe," Mimi replied. "As soon as she got it up, the tower was destroyed, and Tonosama Geckomon and the others were freed. But that minute left her exhausted." 

"Her magic's too weak still to hold a spell for more than that. I'm surprised she was able to even produce a shield," Koushiro commented. 

There was a moment of silence then, and Taichi spoke: "Would it be very difficult for Miyako to strengthen her magic?" he questioned, frowning in thought. 

Koushiro shook his head. "No," he replied. "But she'd need help from someone more experienced. If her magic was strong enough to produce a shield, then it's fairly strong. I don't expect it would take too much more training for her to be able to use it more effectively." 

***

Miyako was pouring eagerly over a book of magic, absorbed entirely. While she waited for a response to the letter she'd sent to Koushiro, she'd decided to at least attempt to study as much as possible. Although some of it she didn't understand, she read eagerly.

Hikari sat beside her, the two huddled before the small stove that gave off heat in the tent. Though the first frost had not yet struck, the cold season was definitely beginning, and the two girls wrapped themselves in blankets as they read. 

Hikari lifted her head from her book, momentarily, and listened for a noise. "How long has it been?" she wondered. 

The other girl didn't bother to lift her head, but answered absently: "A few hours, I suppose."

"I hope they're okay." 

The words hung in the air for a few moments, and then silence descended upon them again. Hikari decided that worrying was probably pointless, and so returned to her own. 

The Princess understood little about magic, but was eager to learn. Some of the books Miyako had been lent by Koushiro were interesting reading, even if one was not possessing of magic. So Hikari devoured them as eagerly as Miyako. Though, today, she was distracted. 

"They shouldn't have gone," she said after a moment of attempting to read, putting down the book out of frustration. 

Miyako, sensing the disturbance, finally looked up from her own reading. "I'm sure they're fine," she said with sincerity. "They just went with the Geckomon to find new territory, remember?" 

Hikari was silent for a moment, her worrying momentarily halted by the intrusion of common sense. "I wish I could have gone," she sighed then, and leaned back, frustrated, on the cot. 

"You need to let your foot heal," Miyako told her, burying her nose into her book again. They'd had this conversation before – several times, in fact, and she was uninterested in repeating it. Hikari's ankle, injured slightly during the tug-of-war with the Geckomon, need a few days to recuperate, and there was no getting around that. 

"Your brother would kill me if you were hurt badly," Jyou had explained. "I'm not going to let you injure yourself if it can be prevented." Hikari had not sulked, precisely – she never sulked – but she had been disappointed, and she'd said so several times. 

"There's not enough of them," she protested. With the exclusion of the girls – Miyako wanted time to rest after the exhausting encounter as well – that meant that only the three male members were heading out. Daisuke still limped slightly, and when pressured had to admit that his leg did bother him, but the mission was expected to be low-impact and so he went along for the strategy of safety in numbers. 

And so they'd gone, despite any misgivings Hikari might have, and promised to return before nightfall. Sunset was still a few hours away now, despite the decreasing hours of daylight, but with each minute, she grew more anxious. 

"He'll be fine, Hikari," Miyako said, suddenly, breaking the silence. She noticed the way Hikari paced about the tent, the way she couldn't concentrate on reading, the way she was always staring into space, and understood that more than simple worrying was going on. From almost the moment Miyako had met her, she'd understood a few things about the young Princess that Hikari didn't quite comprehend herself. 

Now, she didn't bother to ask who Miyako meant by 'he'. Nor did she bother to point out that there were, in fact, _three_ 'he' that were not there. She knew who Miyako meant, and she knew that Miyako was aware that she knew. 

***

"I was beginning to wonder if there was anything in this area besides forest," Takeru sighed as they trekked on through the endless sands.

"Well, at least there's some amount of diversity," Daisuke sighed with a similar expression. 

The Geckomon leader frowned: "This is not a good place," he said with seriousness. "We don't do well without water." 

"Perhaps it would have been best to stay in the forest," Iori suggested. 

"That would be most agreeable," Tonosama Geckomon's booming voice agreed. 

Takeru turned his head around to peer at the vast horizon of sweeping wasteland. "If we could find it again," he frowned. 

"I think we left it back that way," Patamon suggested from the relative coolness of his partner's head, pointing off in the distance. 

"I don't see anything," another Geckomon commented, tongue hanging out. 

Daisuke sighed and sat down with a defeated expression in the sand. "Why did we come this way, anyway?"   
"I think we were taking suggestions," Takeru noted with a sideways glance at Tonosama Geckomon. "And it was suggested that we go this way." 

"It's nearly winter," V-mon noted. "How can it be so _hot?_" He wiped his brow. 

"Deserts don't really experience a winter," Iori replied pragmatically. "They stay hot all year." 

Takeru took a few steps in one direction. "It's hopeless," he sighed. "I can't see a thing." 

"Footprints," Armadimon said then. "Did we leave footprints?" 

A hot wind blew across the arid landscape then, and the blond boy sighed. "No, the sands have shifted too much."   
Iori helped Daisuke to his feet again. "We can't sit here too long," he explained. "We'll be dehydrated."   
"Better keep moving then," he sighed. 

***

"I was hoping you could come," Miyako told Koushiro as they walked away from the camp. "I know I'm too experienced to really use the magic yet, but I didn't know what _else_ to do." 

"You did what is expected," the older wizard assured her. "You're not given magic simply to sit back and watch things. You need to use the gifts you have." When she nodded in comprehension, he continued: "Figuring out that shielding spell and holding it as long as you did without practice shows your magic is as stronger than I'd originally thought." He frowned in thought. 

"If the magic is so strong, why did the spell leave me feeling so weak?" Miyako wondered. 

"Your magic is strong, but you're not yet used to it," he replied. Now that they'd reached the edge of the camp, he seated himself on the grass, folding his legs beneath him in a typical meditative posture. "The magic stayed hidden for so long, and you're not used to handling it." 

She sighed as she sat on the ground beside him. "It will get better, right?" 

A nod was the response. "Most definitely. As you get used to the magic it will be easier to cast stronger spells." There was a moment of silence then before Koushiro spoke again: 

"I somehow gather that there's more you want to ask," he said cautiously. 

Miyako frowned in thought. "Is it possible for magic to predict the future?" she questioned directly. 

"Some magic," he replied. "Some people can see magic in the stars, or when certain herbs or ingredients are combined."

"Yes, this you've told me," she nodded. "But _without_ those aids?" 

He frowned deeply. "It's very rare…" he said cautiously. "Have _you_ had such an experience?" 

Miyako shook her head. "No, no," she said. "It's Hikari…"  
The older wizard's expression had been somber and serious throughout the conversation, but now his frown grew more serious, and he got a strange look in his eyes. "I was wondering how long it would take you… That's a serious matter," he stated gravely. "I'll tell you what you need to know, but you must swear to tell no one else. _Especially _Hikari." 

"Why?" Miyako wondered, confused. "Shouldn't she know - ?" 

Sighing, Koushiro shook his head. "That's my opinion as well," he replied. "But it's not my decision. The Queen wishes this be kept secret from her children and you know as well as I that I'm not in a position to disagree with that." 

She nodded then. "All right. I won't tell."   
There was a moment of silence then as he collected his thoughts. "You know there are two kinds of magic, correct?" 

"Well, there's dark magic," she answered after a moment of thought. "That's what the Kaiser possesses. I've seen it, it surrounds him like a dark cloud…" She frowned, and shuddered slightly. "That's not my magic…does that mean it's light?" 

Koushiro held up a single finger in triumph. "No, actually it's not. Magic in its purest form is neither dark nor light – it's simply – neutral. Blank. However you wish to refer to it. Pure. It's not the magic the Kaiser has which makes him evil, dark, whatever you wish to say he is. It is the darkness in him which makes the magic dark. Do you understand?" 

Miyako nodded slowly. "I think so. The magic doesn't control your personality, you control it, right?"   
"Precisely. So your magic, my magic, and most magic is simply neutral. Pure magic. We cause the magic to be dark or not, and in most cases the magic is simply pure, neutral magic."

"And Hikari -?" 

"Hikari, her brother, and, in fact, their entire family line, possess the third kind of magic." 

"_That's _the light magic, isn't it?" Miyako questioned, slowly understanding. 

He nodded. "It is. It is one of the many reasons their ancestors were chosen to lead this kingdom. Hikari possesses a very strong concentration of this magic. In fact, this is the strongest concentration that's been seen in quite some time. 

"Somehow, this magic is hereditary, more so than regular, pure magic. Because of the need to marry those without the magic, however, the power became…diluted. The current Queen, who descends directly from this line, possess very little magic herself, but her children are much stronger." 

"Taichi as well?" she queried, surprised. "But, wouldn't I have sensed _something_?" 

Koushiro shook his head. "It's a different sort of magic," he attempted to explain. "It's harder to detect, even when it's possible to _see_ magic the way you can. Because of how powerful they both are, the Queen was determined that her children could know nothing of the magic they have. She's ordered that as long as she lives, they not be informed. Of course, those of us who have contact with them and possess magic may find out, and it's necessary in some instances that the magic users be aware, but no one else. We've been ordered to keep secret, under severe penalty." 

"But they could have used the magic!" Miyako protested. "Why keep it hidden?" 

"It's a danger to them," he replied solemnly. "When they were young, defenseless children, their mother knew that it was possible that others would want the magic for themselves. Such power puts one at incredible risk." When she began to speak again, he interrupted: "I agree with you, Miyako," he said solemnly. "Especially now that they're older, both could learn to use the magic to their advantage. I've tried to argue the point, but the orders stand. It's not in your best interests to try to protest this." 

She sighed. "I know. It's just – I was late learning magic, too. And if I had known earlier, I could have been so much more help in that last battle. And Hikari _has_ that magic, but she's not allowed to know of it. At least no one_ prevented_ me." 

***

The dry, warm part of the desert had vanished, but another sort of desert had appeared. At first the temperature dropped. Then a few patches of ice appeared on the ground. Now, the three Chosen, their partners, Tonosama Geckomon, and the group of Geckomon peered out at a snowy white wasteland. 

"Oh no. No way I'm going that way," Daisuke protested, waving a hand and stepping backwards. "I'm not dressed warmly enough." He gestured to the clothes the three humans wore: thin pants and shirts with only light outer jackets to protect against the cold. They'd removed the jackets in the desert, but now reached to put them on once more.  
"Cold is not good for us, either," Tonosama Geckomon's deep voice droned. "But I know now where we are." 

"Oh yeah?" the boy questioned. "Where?"   
"It's not too much farther," the spokes-mon of the Geckomon assured him. "We've been here before, and there's a good forest not far to the south." He pointed in another direction. "It's in a valley, and I'm pretty sure we'll be safe from most attacks there."   
"How long will it take us to get there?" practical Iori questioned. 

The creature shrugged, glancing upwards towards the sun. "We'll be there before the sun sets." 

"The sun sets?" Daisuke questioned. "We were supposed to have _returned_ by then!" He was obviously quite a bit outraged. 

"Calm down," Takeru spoke for the first time. He addressed the Geckomon: "I do recall you saying this wouldn't take more than a day." 

"We thought it was closer," he replied. "But I guess we were wrong." 

"Oh, you were wrong all right," Daisuke fumed slightly. "Is there even food there? We haven't eaten all day and we've been walking. I, for one, am exhausted." 

Iori peered at him with concern. "Does your leg hurt?" he asked. 

"He has a point," Takeru was saying to the Geckomon. "Maybe you haven't a problem, but humans generally need to eat every few hours. We're tired, and you did promise this would be a short trip." He turned to Daisuke. "Can you make it as far as they say?"   
The other boy frowned for a moment. "I can make it," he replied.

***

Hikari peered at the setting sun and frowned. "Something's wrong," she observed, frowning. "I just know it."   
"They _were_ supposed to be back by now," Jyou agreed, having passed by her at just that moment. "I'd guess they've been delayed." 

"But by what?" she wondered. "Another attack?" 

Gomamon, perched on his partner's shoulder, frowned as well. "Who knows," he commented realistically, shrugging. 

"If they're attacked, they'll be in real danger," Jyou frowned, paranoid instincts beginning to activate. "And Daisuke really shouldn't have been walking all day." 

"They didn't take much food with them," Hikari pointed out, somehow fully aware that she and the doctor were only making each other more anxious and yet unable to stop herself. 

"What if they got lost?" 

"What if one of them is hurt?" 

Gomamon frowned, interrupting. "I really doubt…" 

His partner disagreed: "You never know, Gomamon. There's tons of wild _and_ controlled digimon about. They could run into serious problems." 

Hikari only shuddered. 

***

The sun _was _just about setting when the group reached the other side of the hills. A green valley, momentarily vacant of all sorts of dark towers and such, stretched before them. 

Takeru sat down, exhausted from the climb, and munched a fruit he'd taken from a tree. "Is it safe here to camp for the night?" he wondered, swallowing the fruit. 

"Probably about as safe as anything in this territory is," Daisuke replied grumpily, collapsing beside him. 

"It _looks_ safe," Patamon noted from atop his partner's head. 

"Yes, but how long will that last?" V-mon wondered. 

"Hopefully for at least one night," Iori sighed. "Well, I guess we'll make camp here, then?" 

Tonosama Geckomon, looking ready for a century-long nap, nodded. "This will be perfect. In the morning we'll start building our new home. For now, we'll eat and sleep." 

"Sounds good to me," Armadimon cheered. He, for one, was quite fond of eating and sleeping. 

"And just what _will_ we eat?" his partner questioned, once again the voice of logic.

"I think I see a river," Patamon said. "Hopefully there'll be fish there, right?" 

"Probably lots of fish," Geckomon cheered. "C'mon guys, let's get food!" With that, the crowd of green digimon disappeared in a cloud of dust, ready to haul in fish and fruit and berries and anything else the valley had to offer, Tonosama Geckomon lumbering slowly after. 

Takeru sighed. "This is bad." 

"Why do you say that?" his partner wondered. 

"We did say this would be a _short_ trip, remember?" the boy reminded him. "Hikari and Miyako are probably worried sick. We were supposed to be back by now." 

"Well, it'll have to wait until tomorrow, now," Iori noted with a frown. "We'll just have to explain it to them when we return. Surely they know we can take care of ourselves." 

"Let's just hope they're right," Daisuke sighed. 

***

Hikari ate the meal given her with some amount of distraction. Alone with her thoughts for the first time in a while, she barely paid notice to the taste of the food as she sat under the stars and ate. "Something's gone wrong," she frowned. "I just _know_ it." 

Tailmon paused in her own eager consumption to peer at her partner with a worried glance. "They'll be fine," she said dismissively, too hungry to be too concerned. 

Before Hikari could begin to voice her worries, however, Miyako interrupted them to sit beside her. She'd been having a conversation with Koushiro, but now they'd decided to eat. The Princess peered up from her food, glad for the distraction the two were bringing. "Did you find some answers?" she asked casually, taking another bite of the food. 

"Yes," Miyako said, and focused intently at her fish, an action which confused Hikari. 

"Miyako has some pretty strong magic," Koushiro said, attempting to fill the sudden awkward silence. "But as long as she's not accustomed to it, it'll weaken her like it did this time." 

"So all she'll need is practice, then, right?" The wizard nodded, and Hikari felt better. She glanced towards Miyako to see if she had a similar reaction, but she was still focusing on her food, and didn't look up or acknowledge the statement. "What's wrong?" 

The girl set down her plate, sighed, and then and stood up. "I'm not hungry," she said, absently. "I think I'll go to bed." 

***

Hikari awoke early, feeling strange. Everything looked strange. She sat up abruptly and peered about her, suddenly feeling as though she were being watched and having no idea where the sensation was coming from. "Miyako?" she wondered, glancing towards the other cot. 

The other girl rolled over in her sleep, mumbling softly. Hawkmon, asleep at the foot of her bed, moaned contentedly and shifted as well. 

"Everything _looks_ normal," she whispered. "So why does it _feel_ so strange?" She sat up and reached for her robe, pulling the comfort of the warm cloth around her in the chilly morning air. She slipped her feet into the slippers and carefully placed weight on her injured ankle, without too much pain. Cautiously, she slipped out of bed and lifted the hem of her nightgown to walk towards the opening of the tent. 

The sun was only barely peeking over the horizon, and the rest of the camp and the Primary Village was asleep. In the distance, she thought she could hear a few wild digimon calls, but everything else appeared to still be slumbering. Even the baby digimon were giving Elecmon and the refugees a much deserved nap. Beyond that, Hikari heard a soft noise…

"Water?" she wondered, turning suddenly in the direction of the sound of the splashing. "There's no water here…" But even as she spoke she felt a dampness at her toes, and when she glanced down she saw that there was water, slowly rising. Her ankles were wet now, and the hem of her skirt. From somewhere distant, she heard a voice. _'Help…_'

_'Who?'_  she wondered silently, because suddenly talking seemed impossible – almost unnecessary. 

_'Help us…'_ the voice called again, almost like a dream-sound, and she realized then that it was actually many voices speaking at once. _'Help us.' _

_***_

"Well, they may not be much in the way of singers, but Geckomon sure know how to throw a feast," Armadimon commented. As he, too, was not much of a singer but a definite eater, he was certainly qualified to make such a statement. He lounged sleepily beside the bedroll his partner had laid out, looking content and full in the early morning light. 

"They'd have to be," Iori agreed, glancing over his shoulder at the still-sleeping Tonosama Geckomon. "When he wakes up he probably eats as much as ten Geckomon." 

"At least they did feed us," Takeru sighed, leaning back on his own blanket. "After making us walk all over dangerous territory yesterday, they needed to give us something." 

"The food was a good compensation," Patamon decided cheerfully, landing gently on his partner's head. 

"Where's Daisuke?" Iori wondered. "Didn't he want to eat?" 

"He did," the blond replied. "He went to take a bath." He pointed in the general direction of the stream where their fish had come from. "I took one earlier. The water's cold, but it feels good." 

"Sounds like a good idea, to get the dirt and sand from yesterday off before we start off walking again," Armadimon commented.

"It is," his partner agreed. "I'll have to do that before we leave, too. Did you talk to him, Takeru? How is he feeling?" 

"He says he's fine, but I think he feels worse than he lets on," the other boy answered. "Typical Daisuke behavior." 

"I hope we can make it all the way home today," Iori sighed. "None of our digimon are really very good for transportation, aside from Pegasmon." 

***

Miyako arose suddenly, sensing something wrong. She looked frantically around, taking a moment to recall that she was in fact in a tent and not either at home or in the palace. Then she tried to figure out what had awakened her. She glance across the tent to see if Hikari had sensed it somehow, and then saw what was wrong. 

Hikari was gone.

***

You know, after re-reading and editing this chapter to make sure it was grammatically correct and all that, I realized something amazing. Nothing much really happens in this chapter… It's mostly just a transition section because soon something big _will_ happen. This non-happening stuff has to occur first. 

Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. Ever have one of those stories in your head where you know what you _want_ to happen, but you can't figure out _when_? I keep getting ideas for this story that I'm not up to yet! Blast it. Oh well. 

The next chapter will _not_ take as long to post as this one did, I can assure you of that. At any rate, hope you enjoyed this part, thanks for all your great reviews!


	8. Hikari's Fight

In the Dark

Part Eight : Hikari's Fight

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Digimon is mine…Just Kidding! Heh. Had you there, didn't I? Anyway, the story is mine, although this part in particular borrows heavily from Zero Two. If you've seen any of it, you'll know why. I get no money from the creation of this, and any and all characters in this are the property of whatever owns Digimon – not me!

***

It was nearly noon before the group stopped to rest and eat. Having reached the edge of the desert, they rested by a stream in the thinner sections of the forest and ate the meal they'd taken from the Geckomon. 

"There's still a long way to go," Iori noted, eating some of the fish leftover from the feast the night before. "I hope our luck holds out." 

"Luck?" Armadimon echoed blankly. 

"We crossed the entire desert yesterday and weren't attacked," Patamon explained. "I'd call that good luck."   
"Especially because the other times we entered this territory we didn't travel as far and yet _were _attacked," Takeru nodded. 

Daisuke was frowning. "He's busy elsewhere perhaps…" he said, looking at the sky. "We were easy targets, and we weren't attacked." 

"There were a lot of us," V-mon pointed out. "Could that be why?" 

"Doubtful," Takeru disagreed. "The Kaiser didn't have a problem capturing the Geckomon the first time around. I don't think we would be much of a discouragement." 

There was silence for a moment as everyone thought about and perhaps thanked some deity for the luck. "Takeru…" Patamon whispered softly, ears raised, listening to some sound. 

"You hear something?" his partner questioned. Immediately the boy was on his feet, blue eyes scanning the scene. The others were on the alert a split second later. 

"Footsteps…," the big-eared digimon answered.

***

Hikari knew instantly that she was no longer near the Primary Village, and the eerie silence wasn't her only clue. A chill breeze blew through her skirts, and she shivered, wishing suddenly that she'd brought at least a shawl with her. In the distance she could hear the strange sound of lapping water. 

It had been early morning in the Village, but now the darkness seemed to be more like that of midnight. There was no noise, except for the water lapping on the shore…

And those distant voices…

_'Help… Help us…'_

***

"Intruders detected. Intruders detected. Orders to destroy. Destroy. Destroy," a monotone voice was announcing, and the sound of mechanical feet clomping through the woods destroyed the temporary peacefulness of the noon meal. 

Takeru sighed knowingly. "I should have known our luck was only temporary," he sighed, glancing at the rest of the group. "Shall we fight or flee?"   
"Destroy!" another monotone voice announced, and a Guardromon appeared behind Iori. Reacting instinctively, the boy raised his digivice. 

"Digimental up!" 

"Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" 

"Fight it is," Daisuke agreed as another of the dark-colored mechanized creatures surfaced behind him. "Digimental up!" 

"V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!"  
  


"Destroy!" announced a larger creature, and all six turned then to see the leader of their current enemies. 

"Andromon…" Patamon noted in a low voice. "He's perfection level!" 

"Digimental up!" Takeru called without wasting a moment with speculation. 

"Attack!" shouted the Guardromon in unison. "Destruction Grenade!" Immediately, the three boys dived to the ground to avoid the flying missiles. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted, destroying one of the missiles. Then he swung his flaming fist and connected easily with the nearest of the mechanized digimon. 

"Malfunction…destroy…malfunction. Error. Processing…error…" groaned the Guardromon as it crashed to the ground, sparks flying from the ring about its neck. "Error…"

Digmon was busied with the other of the two Mechanorimon. "Big Crack!" he announced, pointing his drills to the ground. The thin soil easily split open, causing the mechanical digimon to loose its footing. 

"Error…" it announced, groaning slightly as it crashed to the ground. Sparks flew, and the dark ring snapped. "Ugh…" it groaned. 

"Yes! Got him!" Daisuke cheered, spirits lifted. 

"Look out!" Takeru shouted suddenly, interrupting him from the sky where he was avoiding Andromon's flying fists. 

"Gatling Missile!" Andromon had announced, and the metallic objects, thrown off course, were flying full speed in Daisuke's direction. Quickly, the boy dived out of the way, and a cloud of dust appeared where they connected with the ground. 

"_That_ was close," he observed, wiping the sweat from his brow.

***

"Gone?" Koushiro repeated, throwing his robe about him. "That's bad. That's very bad." 

"I didn't see any magic in the tent," Miyako continued, paying no attention to his assessment. "But it feels very strange – almost as if there _was_ magic there before, but it left. Is it possible whatever took her could have come in and then left quickly?" 

"Possible," Koushiro nodded, following her out of the tent. Tentomon buzzed hurriedly behind his partner. "We'll have to hurry."

Hawkmon had been waiting just outside the girls' tent, waiting for his partner to arrive with help, and trying to comfort Tailmon, who was rather upset. 

"Did you see anything?" Koushiro wondered of the feline. 

"She was here and then she wasn't," Tailmon replied simply, almost disconnected from the situation, dazed. "Just – disappeared…"  
  


***

_'Where did those voices come from?'_ Hikari wondered, slowly walking closer to the ocean and further and further from wherever it was she'd come from. For some reason, she was having trouble remembering where that was…

"Help, help!" the voices called again, interrupting her thoughts. "Please! Help!" 

And so Hikari turned in the direction of the voices. The ocean, off to her right, lapped its waves on the sand, as if to say, simply, that it was waiting…

***

Koushiro had shut his eyes and was concentrating deeply. "She _was_ here," he nodded. "And so was magic. _Dark_ magic." 

Jyou, who'd been aroused by the commotion, groaned. "You don't suppose the Kaiser came _here_ while we were sleeping?" 

Miyako shuddered at the thought. "I suppose if he wanted to, he could…," she agreed, slowly.

Koushiro shook his head. "Doubtful. From what we've seen of this enemy, he's interested in protecting _his_ territory. He hasn't shown much interest in offensive attacks. The only time he's been a threat is when we enter his territory." 

"Still, what if it's revenge of some sort?" Tailmon wondered. "Hikari _did_ enter his territory." 

Again the wizard disagreed. "Miyako's been in that territory as well, and she's still here." He frowned and opened his eyes, turning to the girl in question. "You've sensed his magic. Is this the same?" 

Miyako frowned. "I – don't think so," she said, after a moment. "It's dark…but it feels a little different…"

"Each person has a unique blend of magic and their personality," Koushiro informed her. "Try to recall when you saw the Kaiser. You saw his magic, you felt it. Does this feel the same?" 

There was a long moment as Miyako tried to recall. "No," she replied finally. "That magic was thick, well developed, but I think, as you said, mostly for protection. His aura was highly concentrated, like a shield. This is less concentrated…but stronger. More far-reaching." 

***

"Shooting star!" Pegasmon shouted, firing his attack at the enemy. 

"Gold Rush!" Digmon called, firing drills in an attempt to dent the mechanical digimon's armor. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon added, shooting the fireball directly into Andromon's chest. 

A moment later the smoke cleared. Daisuke blinked, astonished. "How is that possible!" he shouted, more out of frustration than seeking an answer. 

"He's too strong for us!" Iori realized with a frown. 

"He's perfection level," Takeru noted with a sigh from where he was, circling around on his partner's back. "We're only three at armor-level. Maybe we should retreat." 

"Retreat to where?" Daisuke demanded.

"Gatling missile!" Andromon called then, ending all conversation for the moment. Quickly, Pegasmon pumped his wings into action and was able to dash out of the way in plenty of time. 

"It would be best to retreat instead of possibly suffering serious harm," Iori noted, agreeing with the older boy. 

"No!" Daisuke shouted, disagreeing. "We're not giving up!" 

"But if hitting him full strength didn't work, what will?" Takeru protested. "We're not _strong_ enough to beat him, Daisuke!" 

"We can't give up!" he insisted. "Keep trying! He has to have a weak spot!"   
"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon called obediently, firing his attack again, this time directly for the enemy's head. A large cloud of smoke appeared, and now it was possible to see that the armor was slightly dented. 

"Gatling missile!" Andromon called, not one to let a good opportunity go to waste. 

"Look out!" Fladramon shouted to his partner, diving out of the way quickly. Without hesitation, Daisuke and Iori managed to quickly move out of the way of the missiles, but not out of the way of the dust cloud. 

"You all right?" Daisuke questioned of the younger boy, who was wiping the dust from his eyes. Iori nodded. 

"I think the head may possibly be the weak point," he stated. "Digmon! Aim for the head!" 

"Right!" Digmon nodded. "Gold Rush!" 

"Allow us to offer assistance," a voice from behind Iori suddenly spoke up.

***

Not far from the ocean was a dark cave. Somehow, Hikari found herself drawn to the darkness within it, even though it filled her with a dread and fear. "Hello?" she called cautiously into the lightless cavern.

"Help us…" a hundred tired voices seemed to call in response. "Help us…" 

***

"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?" Hawkmon wondered. 

Koushiro shook his head. "It was magic that brought her there, that's for sure. There's traces of it here. But I've no way of knowing where she was taken." 

Miyako peered at the dim digivice. There was no sign of Hikari, and no sign of the others still within the Kaiser's territory. Again she felt frustrated at the uselessness of the device. With a sigh, she pocketed the silent device. 

***

"Destruction Grenade!" the Guardromon shouted in unison. Having been freed from the Kaiser's grasp, they were eager to free their former commander as well. 

"Malfunction. Damage heavy," Andromon's mechanical voice stated. "Must…destroy…intruders… Damage reported. Damage. Error. Processing error. Enemies not sighted. Must. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy." 

"Look!" Iori called suddenly, pointing. Smoke was beginning to pour from the digimon's neck, and sparks flew. "I think that's the dark ring!" 

"I hope so," Takeru commented, climbing from Pegasmon to the ground. "Otherwise he's sustained some very bad injuries." 

"Damage. Damage. Destroy. De…stroy…malfunction. Error discovered. Removal in process." Andromon lifted both arms and grasped the ring inside the armor about his neck. It snapped quickly in two, landing on the ground and disintegrating. 

Cheering filled the area. 

***

"We need your help, child of light," a single voice said, standing alone from the hundreds with it. 

Hikari startled as two glowing eyes appeared within the cave. "My help?" she wondered, fearful of the whispering, raspy voice, the darkness, and the eyes which did not appear to be friendly. She wouldn't show her fear, though. If nothing else, she would be strong. 

"Yes," the voice replied, a hissing whisper. "You alone can save us from the dark master…"

"The…dark…what?" Hikari echoed. "I don't understand."

Another pair of glowing yellow eyes appeared, and a different voice replied. "We are digimon," it spoke slowly. "We were brought here by the master of the dark ocean and forced to do his bidding." 

"We have been weakened, being away from our home and the other digimon," the first voice continued. "We wish to break free of our master and return to our home. That is why we brought you here." 

"_You_ brought me here?" she questioned. "But – why? I don't understand. How can _I_ possibly save you?" 

"You are the child of light," the second voice replied. "And what better way to banish the darkness than with light?" 

***

"Thank you so much for your help," Iori thanked the Guardromon. "We never would have been able to free Andromon without you." 

"It was our pleasure," the first Guardromon replied. "It was the best way to say thank you for freeing us." 

"But now we have another favor to ask of you," the second interjected. "We cannot stay here. Our homes and villages were destroyed. We must find a new place to go." 

"If we could return to the Primary Village with you, it would be much help to us. We perhaps could assist in guarding the Village from any further attacks."

"It is important to keep the Village safe," the other agreed.   
"I don't see why not," Armadimon nodded, glancing at his partner for approval. 

"That would be a good plan," Iori agreed. He glanced towards the other two boys, who were saying their goodbyes to Andromon. "Daisuke, Takeru!" he called. 

***

"Banish the darkness…with light," Hikari repeated. Somehow, the idea didn't seem as farfetched now as it had a moment ago. She felt weak, disoriented. Fighting the urge to sit down, she leaned an arm against the wall. 

"You must. Help us!" the voices were nearly shouting now, their raspy tones droning loudly enough to fill her ears. Dizziness grew stronger. 

"I don't…" she began slowly, wanting to say that she didn't have a clue how to make light. She didn't know how to build a fire, and she knew no other way of bringing light to this damp, dark, cave. "Help…"

"You have to help us!" the creatures repeated, filling her mind. 

"I can't!" she whispered softly. "I don't know how…" She looked at her hands. Her vision was cloudy, her head dizzy. For a moment it had appeared that she was glowing. '_I've got to get out of here_,' she thought suddenly, and she took a step back. 

"Please!" the creatures were saying, crowding about her. "Help us! You must help us!" Their voices were hissing, raspy whispers now, and they'd surrounded her, blocking the exit. "Create the light!" 

"I…can't," she mumbled… 

Everything was suddenly blurry…

She felt so tired…

_'Help!'_

***

Koushiro had busied himself trying to find more magical clues. Though he could sense magic, he lacked the sight that Miyako possessed, and so enlisted her aid to speed the process. Though eager to help her magical mentor, especially in magical tasks, Miyako found the task rather slow-moving and somewhat boring. She was willing to find clues to finding her friend, but her mind was tired and the search slow-going. 

Jyou, in the meantime, was concerning himself with how to explain this latest event to Taichi. "He's going to have my head chopped off," the doctor was wailing. Judging by the boy-King's reaction to Hikari's slight injury due to the Geckomon, Jyou imagined a million and one different torturous things that could be put on him as a result. 

"I doubt it will be as bad as that," Koushiro stated distractedly, busy making marks on a sheet of paper. 

"Indeed, Jyou," Gomamon agreed. "Surely your post as doctor will save you from his wrath? If not, remind him you are Chosen as well, and needed." 

His partner's assurance, strangely enough, did not comfort Jyou in the least. 

Miyako, who had paid little heed to the conversation, spoke up now. "Did you hear that?" she wondered. 

"Hear what?" Hawkmon questioned. 

***

"I know it's not been very long, but it feels as though we've been out here for ages," V-mon commented as they walked. 

"It was a long walk," Armadimon agreed. "And much longer of a trip than we'd thought it would be." 

"Are you sure you'll be able to make it the rest of the way home?" Iori questioned of Daisuke, who was limping slightly, the wound in his leg not completely healed as of yet. 

"I'm not spending another night out here," the boy replied with a somewhat false grin. "I'll have to make it back." 

"There's no hurry," Takeru assured him. "If you need to rest, I'm sure it can be arranged." 

"Resting is an acceptable activity," one of the Guardromon stated. 

"If you need to rest, that could be accomplished," the other agreed with a nod.

"No, I'll be all right," Daisuke assured them. "It's not as bad as it seems, really." 

"Is it worse?" Takeru wondered dryly. Daisuke frowned at him and stuck out his tongue. The blond boy only laughed. 

"How much farther is it, anyway?" Patamon questioned from his luxurious post atop his partner's head. 

"Not too much farther, I hope," the boy replied. "I believe another hour or two's walk. It's mid afternoon now." 

"Longer than that," Iori disagreed. 

Armadimon groaned. "If only we had a cart or something," he sighed. "Or a boat." He glanced longingly at the river beside their path. 

"We could build a raft, but I'm not sure where the river goes," Takeru stated. "Do you, Daisuke? Daisuke?" 

The group stopped in their tracks to note they'd left him a few paces back. "Did you hear that?" 

"Hear what?" V-mon questioned.

***

Miyako shook her head slightly. "It was probably just my imagination. It was so faint…" She forced her mind back to the task at hand. Koushiro was examining a tree. 

"Considering Taichi was never fond of executions, especially of his friends, I doubt he will have you beheaded," Koushiro was trying to reassure Jyou at the same time. 

"Yes, but you never know. Some people act rather vengeful when their family is in serious danger." 

***

"I thought I heard…" Daisuke said slowly… He paused, listening intently. "Takeru…" 

"What? What do you hear?" the boy wondered, confused. 

"How long to fly to camp?" 

Takeru glanced toward his partner, who'd left his perch atop his head and was now hovering beside his head. "Not long, I'd expect." 

"How long?" 

"A half-hour?" 

Patamon nodded. "About that, yes. Why?" 

"You have to go."

"What?" 

"Why?" Iori put in, confused and curious. 

"Hikari. She needs help." 

***

Hikari shook her head, clearing it of the fog. "No!" she shouted suddenly. "I won't!" The chorus of voices ceased then, the blurriness left her vision. Fearful of what would happen now that she'd offered resistance to the strange creatures, she ran as fast as she could, leaving the creatures and the cave behind. 

Once she'd escaped into the darkened outside world, she paused to take a breath, leaning against the edge of the cavern. 

_'Help us. Why won't you help us?'_ the voices were calling again from the cave. 

"No!" she shouted forcefully, feeling the inside of her throat burn. She ran a few steps more. "Where am I? How did I get here? And how do I get back?" she wondered, gasping. Her head felt clearer. Suddenly, she could remember everything. Her life, her brother, her parents, the camp at the Primary Village, the others at the camp. As though a spark had been lit, her mind had blown away the fog. "Help!" she shouted then, unaware of what else to do. 

***

Miyako had been closely examining a tree, when suddenly she saw, from the corner of her vision, a flash of light. She turned her head, startling Koushiro who had been pointing out the spot he wanted her to observe, and saw that the light had come from what now appeared to be a barely visible rip in the air. 

"Koushiro… I think I see something," she said then, slowly. Koushiro abandoned the intriguing tree and turned to her. 

"I sense something," he agreed. "What do you see?" 

"It's hard to explain," Miyako confessed. "There's the air, and there's a – a line? In the air? Almost like a tear in a piece of fabric. And through the space there's darkness…"

"A tear? In the air?" Jyou repeated, confused. 

Strangely enough, the wizard appeared to understand. He nodded. "Tentomon," he said then, speaking to his partner. "You know the book I want. Retrieve it for me, please?" 

"Certainly," the bug-like digimon replied without question and buzzed off to the tent. 

"You know what I'm talking about?" Miyako asked in disbelief. 

"It's a strange theory," he replied. "But I believe you may possibly have discovered a portal to another world, and it was that world which the princess was taken to." 

"Another world?" Jyou echoed, completely lost. 

"What do you mean, another world?" Miyako wondered, equally lost. 

"It's a very old, and yet very new theory," Koushiro elaborated. "Rather obscure, really. Some believe that there are other dimensions, or worlds that border on ours. It's believed that certain mystical or magical creatures come from different worlds that actually overlap our own." 

"Like – faeries?" Hawkmon wondered, recalling some of the stories Miyako and her siblings had read as children.

"Precisely," Koushiro nodded, pleased someone had comprehended. "However I doubt Hikari was pulled out of this world by something as benevolent as faeries."

"There could be evil faeries," Gomamon spoke up. 

"Indeed, there are," Koushiro agreed. "But they are rare and they don't live in the same realm as the more compassionate creatures." 

"Wait a moment," Miyako interrupted. "Are you telling me that faeries are real?" 

"I thought they were story creatures," Jyou agreed, equally disbelieving.

"As one possessing of magic, Miyako, you need to understand that many things are possible," Koushiro said, gently chiding in his tone. "Faeries live in a realm near ours that isn't visible to most humans. Since you possess the magic sight, it's possible that you might one day _see_ one for yourself." He grinned impishly then. 

"This is the book you wanted, right?" Tentomon spoke then, having returned with a rather large volume. 

"This is it," he nodded, setting the book on the ground and immediately beginning to flip through the pages with the practiced ease of one who as often read a book. 

"If faeries aren't responsible for Hikari's departure, than what is?" Jyou wondered. 

"Most likely someone – or something – from the shadow world," Koushiro answered. Before anyone could ask, he continued: "Less benevolent or evil creatures come from the shadow world. It also borders our own. Aha!" 

Miyako peered over his shoulder at the book. A rather ugly looking creature was drawn in ink on the page, taking up the entire paper. "Ech," she noted, shuddering slightly. "Is that what took Hikari?" 

"It's entirely possible," he replied with a grave tone. "This is Dagomon. He is Lord of the shadow world, and most likely connected with another digimon we've come into contact with." He flipped the page, and Miyako recognized the creature on that page. 

"Demon," she spoke. "Could he be from the shadow world?" 

"It's entirely possible. Very little information is known about Demon. He rarely makes contact with humans." 

"Well whoever took her, how do we get her back?" Tailmon interrupted, speaking for the first time and startling all those who had forgotten she was there. 

"Most likely we'll have to enter that shadow world," Tentomon stated. 

***

There was something that once appeared to be a building. It was dark, rather broken down, and tall. Hikari thought she'd heard about one in a far off land that emitted a bright light so that ships wouldn't crash into the rocks bordering along the sea. She recalled Koushiro telling her about it when she'd been younger. He'd called it a light-house.

This light-house was not emitting a light. It was rather emitting darkness. The candle or fire in the top of it was burning, but instead of bright, warm light extending towards the ground to warn ships, a darkness extended from the light. Hikari at once felt drawn to and repelled from the building. She dared not go near it though, because the fearful ocean was between her and that dark-house.

The waves lapped softly upon the shore. _You'll be ours soon enough,_ it seemed to be saying. Hikari shuddered and turned away. But to where? There was the beach, and the ocean, and the rocks, with more caves holding those fearful creatures. __

_'Where am I? How do I get home? How did I get here?'_ she wondered. 

As if in response, the waves in the ocean grew more forceful. They crashed against the shore, splashing near the edge of her toes before receding again, only to return, angrier than before. 

_'We will not be denied_,' the waves said now. Angry. Impatient waves. 

***

Before anyone could volunteer or decline to pass through the rip between worlds, Tailmon spotted a flying creature above them. "Takeru!" she shouted with relief, and Miyako, too, felt some relief. In the commotion, she'd completely forgotten about the departed travelers. 

"Where's Hikari?" he questioned the moment he had landed, not bothering to dismount. 

"In there," Miyako replied, forgetting that he couldn't see the rip. 

"The shadow world," Hawkmon clarified. 

"Then she's in danger?" Pegasmon questioned. Wordlessly, the group nodded. 

"How-?" Takeru wondered, but shook his head. "I'm going after her," he announced simply. Obediently, his partner spread his wings and took flight, and Tailmon, with the feline grace she possessed, jumped aboard as well. Before anyone could question how he planned to accomplish this feat, he was gone. Disappeared the same way Hikari had. 

***

The waves were angrier now, and the wind appeared to agree with the anger. Dark clouds were forming in the gray-black sky now and the air grew colder. Hikari peered at the rocks behind her. There was no way she could possibly climb them. The only way to escape the ocean would be to enter the caves higher in the cliff. But she could not. And yet, she could not enter the water to escape the creatures, with their dark, glowing eyes and pleading and cajoling raspy whispers. 

_Which fate is worse,_ the waves seemed to be daring. _You will be ours either way._

"Hikari!" 

She peered at the water. It was cold, she knew that much from how it leapt at her bare feet and the chill in the air. It would not be pleasant to simply drown within its black waters. 

_"Hikari!" _

Yet would it be more pleasant to easily cease breathing and succumb to the forces of nature or to submit to the horrors within the cave? She knew not how to help those strange creatures, but she knew what they wanted from her she was to weak to give. She was not sure she was capable of giving what they wanted. 

"Hikari?" 

Was there a chance of survival in either situation? She had never longed so sincerely for a warm blanket and a cup of tea. To sit beside a warm fire and see nothing of this fearful ocean or the rocky cliffs behind it. If only to be home again…

"Hikari?" Takeru's voice questioned, and she turned to see that he was hovering beside her, astride Pegasmon. 

"You?" she wondered, dazedly. Not the image she'd been expecting before her demise. "Why?" 

"I'm going to take you home," he said, with complete assurance. 

"I-," she began weakly. "I don't know how." Home? 

"I do," he replied confidently, and held out his hand. 

"I can't," she said, pointing uselessly at the dark-house. 

"Hikari!" another voice broke through, and Tailmon leapt from her place on Pegasmon to the ground beside her partner. "Let's go." 

"The light," Takeru noted. "Or rather – the dark." 

"You see that shape, don't you?" Pegasmon questioned, as though sensing the direction his partner's mind was about to take. 

"Like a dark tower," he agreed. "Shall we…?" 

Pegasmon needed no further conversation or debate. He spread his wings and they were soaring towards the building. "Shooting Star!" he called, and the dark emitting from the tower cracked. 

"A tower!" Hikari and Tailmon noted in unison. 

"That explains it," Tailmon nodded. She looked at her partner. "Shall I?" 

"I don't know if I can," Hikari replied hesitantly. Child of light, they had called her, and she possessed the digimental of light… And yet when she had been called upon to use that light…

There was no time for debate. _'I'll be useless if I can't use my digimental,'_ she reminded herself. _'I must do this!' _

"Digimental up!" 

Without difficulty, Tailmon complied. "Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!"

Hikari breathed a sigh of relief. The tower was easily destroyed. 

***

There now, that didn't take too long, did it? I think this chapter was even longer than usual…

I hope this was good enough to make up for the suspense started by the last chapter. There's not a whole lot of action here, either, but I did throw in a battle to make up for the not-happenings of the last one. I'm actually really proud of the way Hikari turned out in this.  

A few people asked if Daisuke would get to rescue Hikari, and I'm sure that, being that there are large amounts of Daikari hints in this, I'll get some flack from people for sticking to having Takeru as the rescuer. Keep in mind however, that Takeru is the only one who could have possibly gotten to Hikari in time to save her. Daisuke, some distance from the Village and their camp, would never have made it. Therefore, he did the mature thing and told Takeru she was in danger because he knew Takeru would have a chance of making it. 

Why were Miyako and Daisuke able to sense Hikari's cry of help? That will become more apparent later in this series. To explain for now, both heard because Hikari was reaching out for them. She was surprised by Takeru's arrival because her mind searched for those she was closest to. 

This entire incident _will_ have consequences for the relationship between Hikari and Daisuke. Keep in mind that it is imperfect and a work in progress. 

That being said, I hope I've answered whatever questions you had about this chapter. Any more questions, comments, complaints, or rave reviews, feel free to leave a review or email me and I'll definitely reply. Thanks for all the nice comments I've gotten. ^_^

Oh, and in case you were wondering, my showers have all been blissfully uninterrupted. ^_~ ^_^ 


	9. Ambush?

In the Dark

Part Nine: Ambush - !?!

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: All characters and creatures in this story are the property of some companies that I am not connected with in any way. I get no money for writing this, and so I would appreciate it if you didn't sue me as I have nothing to give. The plot situations and the storyline itself are, however, mine, and so don't steal either. That said, read!

***

Daisuke awoke with the early morning sun to feel a definite chill in the air. He searched through the single bag he'd brought with him for warmer shirt but found the effort futile. He hadn't expected to stay as long at Primary Village as he had and now he was regretting not having brought more clothes. Takeru, noting his dilemma, suggested he borrow one. 

The camp was cold when he emerged from the tent, shivering even in Takeru's wool-lined shirt, and he made a mental note to see if would be possible for him to go home for a day or two to restock. It was emptier now, as most of the doctors and nurses had been sent home. The flood of refugees from the eastern lands had slowed for now, and Elecmon was attempting to settle back into some semblance of normalcy. Fewer digimon were born during the cold winter months, giving him a welcome respite from the normal ceaseless flowing of babies. 

Miyako, wrapped in a warm sweater and scarf, handed Daisuke and Takeru each a steaming bowl of soup. "If we're going to stay here much longer, I hope we get semi-permanent buildings," she complained, sitting on a log close to the cooking fire. "We can't be expected to stay here through the snows in just tents." 

Takeru frowned. "I really hope we're not here that long," he said with a grumble. "But I'm sure we will." 

Daisuke didn't bother with utensils, just slurped the soup directly from the bowl. "We haven't made much progress here," he stated between gulps. "Probably have to stay through the winter."

Miyako was about to reply to that with a less than optimistic response, but just then they were interrupted by a flurry of activity that appeared to be Jyou. Koushiro was trailing behind him, responding to the doctor's statements with calm, unconcerned responses in hopes that would calm him down. 

"There's no way! No way at all! I told you, didn't I? That I would end up without my head? I just knew it. Knew it," Jyou was saying as he helped himself to the morning soup. 

"You won't be beheaded," Koushiro replied with the exasperation of one who has repeated the same statement over and over again. 

"Oh no. Not right away," the doctor replied. "First I'll be tortured. Beaten. Thrown into prison and never heard from again. Just one day 'hello Jyou' the next day, 'Jyou who?'"

"What's going on?" Takeru asked, pausing in his eating long enough to ask. 

"The doctor is overreacting, that's all," Koushiro stated calmly, sitting beside the boy. Takeru seemed to accept the explanation and returned to his food. 

"I'm not overreacting!" Jyou practically shouted. "This is serious! I'm about to loose my head! One day you'll all be talking and saying 'I wonder what happened to the good Doctor Kido?' and I'll be dead!" 

"Why?" Miyako wondered, naïve enough to attempt to try to make sense of his ramblings. 

Daisuke paid no attention to the arguing going on about him. He stood, passed his empty bowl to Iori, who was collecting the used bowls, and filling another with soup. He was partially concerned about Jyou's mental health, but knew that everything was probably not nearly as bad as the doctor was making it out to be, and so was mostly unconcerned. Instead, he left the relative warmth of the campfire and headed towards the tents. 

A doctor was exiting one particular tent, and he nodded greeting. The doctor gestured that it was all right for him to enter, so he pushed the thick fabric flap aside and ducked under the low opening. 

"Brought you some soup," he offered in as pleasant a voice as he could muster. 

The tent, like most tents, had been constructed rather quickly. Sturdy poles just barely taller than the average person were placed in the four corners of the square, and thick fabric was stretched across to form the roof and walls of the tent. Mammothmon hide added another layer of protection and insulation atop that and kept out much of the howling cold winds that tended to appear in the colder parts of the year. 

The center of the tent had another supporting pole, and there was a thin metal construction beside it that was a stove. Though completely useless for cooking, the fire burning inside the metallic box was enough to create a minimal amount of heat to warm the tent. The three cots within were arranged in a triangle around the stove so that sleeping would be comfortable. 

Hikari sat upon the cot furthest from the wall, warming her hands in front of the stove. She was dressed in simple but warm clothes and had a blanket draped across her lap. She didn't notice when he entered, but when her visitor spoke she turned towards him with a wide smile that immediately improved the boy's overall mood. 

"Thank you," she said appreciatively as she took the soup. "Is it terribly cold outside?" 

"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "The first frost has come."

She nodded as though it was not much of a surprise, and gestured to the empty cot across from her. "Sit," she said, half suggesting, half ordering, and he did so, perching on the edge of the unused cot. "You must be freezing." 

"It isn't bad inside the tents," he said as though brushing aside the comment, but put his hands by the stove nonetheless. "Miyako thinks we should build more permanent buildings if we stay much longer." 

"Hmm. Not a bad plan," Hikari agreed between sips of the soup. "Doesn't that shirt belong to Takeru?" she questioned with a slight amount of surprise. 

Daisuke nodded, glancing self-consciously at the shirt for the first time and almost blushing. "I need to go home for a bit and get some warmer clothes," he explained by way of excuse. 

"You could write home," she suggested. 

"I could," he agreed. "But I'd rather go myself and not have to worry about someone else getting lost." There was a moment of silence then and from outside they could hear Jyou's continuous ranting as he walked past the tent. 

Hikari laughed slightly and shook her head. "Poor Jyou," she sighed. 

"What's he upset about now?" Daisuke wondered.

***

Miyako shut her eyes and tried to _feel_ the magic the way Koushiro had encouraged. She could imagine seeing it as it flowed about her fingertips, and was aware of the warm touch of power at her hands. _'Got it,'_ she thought with some amount of accomplishment. 

Now all that remained was to try to remember the ways to move her hands. _'Fingertips in, out, in out, feel the blaze, make it stronger,'_ Miyako recalled, visualizing the words on the page in the book of spells. _'Outward, because the power is directed outward. Inward because it comes from within. Out…out…out.'_ She imagined and then felt the power escaping her, moving up her arms and then out her hands. 

It began with a spark. A simple flicker of light on the side of a twig, and then another spark beside it. Before long a fire was burning brightly on the twigs, and Miyako opened her eyes to see the blaze. She breathed a sigh of relief. 

"Good." Koushiro's voice cut into her triumphant thoughts. "Be sure your magic is no longer connected with the fire. If it is not cut off completely then you will affect the fire with your own thoughts and the fire will affect you." She turned to look at her hands, but he interrupted. "Feel it, Miyako. Vision can be misleading and you one day may not have it. Learn to feel the magic." 

Disappointed but understanding, Miyako did so, shutting her eyes and sensing that tiny tendrils of magic were still connecting her to the fire through her fingertips. "I feel them, they're still there," she replied. "Still connected." 

"Rein them in, the way you do with your aura. The control is very much the same." 

And so Miyako did so, managing some how to sever the connection between her and the magic. She felt now that part of her aura was gone, and with it part of her magical energy, but she knew that the power would return with time and the weakness she felt now was not as great as when she had produced the protective shield. "Done," she announced. 

The wizard's response was to reward his apprentice with a rare treat – a grin from ear to ear. "Fabulous," he stated. "Your control is still something that needs to be improved, but the power you possess is very strong, and your natural ability is good." He paused for a moment and his face returned to its ordinary solemnity. "There are words to spells, you know," he explained. "Words which help to control the direction of magic. Most students learn the words to the spells to guide them and then, as their power and ability improves, they do it without the words." 

"Words?" Miyako repeated blankly. "I didn't see any words…" She looked back in the direction of the book of spells. 

"That's because that book doesn't have them," he replied. "I gave that to you so you would be able to see what there was to do with magic. I never expected you to even attempt a spell, let alone succeed at one." 

"Well, I…" she blushed pink. "I just…I never really thought…" 

"No, no," Koushiro assured. "It's perfectly all right. That incident made me realize that your magic may play an important role in this fight after all." 

***

Daisuke was about to enter his tent when he heard the telltale sound of squeaky carriage wheels. He turned his head in curiosity to see that Jyou had heard the noise as well and was dashing quickly from his tent, wringing his hands. Iori, who'd been cleaning the dishes that day, looked up from his post at the main fire. Koushiro and Miyako, who had separated themselves from the camp for the purposes of magical practice, turned to see the visitors on their reentry into the camp. Takeru stepped from the tent. "Here already?" 

"It would appear so," Iori replied, setting down the bowl he'd been wiping dry and stepping away from the fire. 

"Who?" Daisuke wondered, clueless. 

"Didn't you pay any attention?" Miyako wondered. "We were talking about this just this morning." He merely blinked, staring blankly at her. 

The carriage stopped in the center of the camp and the driver climbed down from his post to open the door. Before he could make it, however, one of the doors opened, and Daisuke was surprised to see his sister exit the carriage, dressed in comfortable warm clothes and smiling from head to toe. 

V-mon, who'd made his way out of the warmth of the tent with Takeru, peered from around his partner. "I didn't know she was coming," he commented. 

"I didn't either," the boy replied, dumbfounded. 

Behind the girl, who was shaking hands with Jyou now, came a non-descript young man, carrying two thick bags that apparently belonged to her. Though none made note of him and few noticed him, Daisuke peered closer at him. 

There was no time to wonder why this person made an impression on him, though, because a moment later, his sister had noticed him and was making her way over. 

"So good to see you in good health, brother," she said in a way that struck Daisuke as odd or perhaps rather formal. 

"I didn't know you were coming," he replied with confused delight. "Why did you?" 

"We _are_ family, are we not?" she asked with some of the same formality. "I also thought that, it being winter, you might possibly require some warmer garments." She gestured for the boy carrying the bags to step forward, and again he was struck by the oddity of his sameness. 

"I do," he said, trying to regain some amount of composure. Focusing once more on the conversation, he thought that perhaps it was some sort of a game for his sister. Adopting the formal tone, he grinned with some amount of amusement and replied: "The arrival of the garments and yourself is a fabulous and unexpected surprise, sister. Will you stay long?" 

She appeared delighted that he had caught on, and grinned the same grin back. "A few days," she replied. "I'm sure that some sort of accommodations can be made, am I wrong?" 

Daisuke had absolutely no idea if such a thing was true, but he agreed nonetheless. "Certainly," he replied, confused. "We shall provide…something."

"Fabulous," she intoned, and turned to Takeru, who was standing beside him, appearing almost as equally confused. "Do assist with the bag, would you?" 

"Um…uh…" Takeru stammered for a moment. "Certainly." He reached out and took one of the bags from the boy who'd been carrying it previously and fell in line behind Jun as she made her way a few tents over to where Hikari was peering out of the flaps. 

"Welcome," Hikari said pleasantly with no indication of confusion. "You're welcome to the extra bed within our tent." She glanced toward Miyako for approval. 

"It's not much but it's better than the ground," the other girl nodded. Daisuke noticed the confusion on her face as well, but said nothing. 

Hikari stepped aside from the entrance and Jun and the strange boy following her entered. Takeru made to follow, but Jun held up a hand. "That bag is for my brother," she announced. "No need to bring it in here." 

Takeru glanced towards Daisuke with a questioning glance, but he was too busy almost gaping at his sister to respond. The rest of the camp separated itself and returned to its ordinary business. The driver slapped the reins against the side of the Monochromon and the carriage rolled away from camp. 

Iori returned to the wiping of the bowls. Koushiro returned to his tent. Miyako slipped away from camp so that she could continue to practice her magical abilities. Jyou, still sweating bullets, slipped into his tent. Takeru tapped the boy on the shoulder and gestured towards their tent. Shrugging, Daisuke helped him to carry the bag. 

They'd been inside the tent only a few moments when the entrance flaps parted and Jun emerged, grinning, her partner Alraumon behind her. "Think anyone suspected?" 

"Suspected you're strange?" Daisuke questioned without looking up from the unpacking of the winter clothes. "No, no, you hid that fabulously." His voice held a hint of sarcasm. 

"Suspected what?" Takeru wondered. "I thought Taichi was – …"

"Quiet!" Alraumon hissed, motioning with her hands. She peered out the entrance flaps. "Can you be trusted?"   
  


"Not in the least," Daisuke replied dryly. 

"I know you can't," the plant digimon replied. "I meant him." She gestured towards Takeru.

With a shrug, the boy replied: "As much as anyone I suppose." 

"There'd best be no one listening," Jun warned them. 

"Only us," Patamon put in. "But I'm not sure what we're listening to."

"That makes two of us," V-mon commented, confused. He seated himself on the edge of his partner's cot and peered impatiently at Jun. 

"I thought Taichi was supposed to come," Takeru said after it had been assured that he could most definitely be trustworthy. 

"Is _that_ why Jyou is such a wreck?" Daisuke questioned, setting aside his packing for the moment. "That explains a lot." 

"He did," Jun replied with a grin, and her brother, unexpectedly, understood immediately. 

***

"I still don't like this," Sora confessed to Yamato. "I don't like it a bit." 

"Of course you don't," he replied with understanding. "That's why you weren't told. I don't like it either, but I wasn't given a choice." 

"At least you were told about it!" she answered, frustrated. She sat down in a soft chair and wrung her hands. "I don't understand why he needs to do things like this. I know he cares for his sister, but still…" 

"It wasn't exactly the best idea," Yamato replied, kicking the floor with his shoe. "But you know how he is when he has an idea. He can't let it go. And you know how he is about Hikari." 

***

The tent was quiet, unaffected by the raucous noises of the building commencing just outside. Daisuke held the entrance flap in one hand, suddenly sensing a change of atmosphere within the tent. Miyako was not there; he was fairly certain she was assisting in the building process, but Takeru was there. He stood beside Hikari, who sat on the cot, and they were conducting a quiet conversation. Daisuke took a step back, feeling as though he had intruded, but the conversation appeared to be over, because Hikari turned to him now, smiling warm welcome, but with a serious expression at the same time.

"I was hoping you would come," she said with a strange tone in her voice that indicated she searched for more than simple company. She gestured for him to sit on the empty cot across from her.

"Iori said you needed me? "he questioned with some hesitation. 

There was a moment of silence. Hikari nodded. "I do," she replied, and then stood up and moved away to a chest where she kept most of her belongings in this tent. "My brother has often had dreams or feelings which foretell future events," she said as she opened the chest and began to search within. "For many years I had thought that this gift was unique to him. But, as you are aware, I have had my own prophetic dreams."

Daisuke nodded slowly, recalling with some intensity the dream she'd had about him only a few weeks before. That dream had proved quite true. "You've had another?" he guessed. 

She shut the trunk with a solid clunk and stood, now carrying an object in her arms. "Yes. We will soon enter a new phase of our current battle, I believe."

"A new phase?" he echoed. "A new enemy?"

Hikari shook her head. "That I do not know," she confessed. "But I have had dreams."

'She wants me to be careful,' he thought to himself, nodding in comprehension. "I understand."

"There's more," Hikari interrupted before he could continue. She held out the object in her arms to him. "I think you'll need this."

Confused and hesitant, he took it - a long, thin object wrapped in blue velvet cloth. Recognizing what it was almost as soon as he held it in his arms, he shook his head and then looked up at her with confusion, holding it out as though to return it.

"You must," she intervened once more. "It will save your life, I think."

"But this..." Daisuke hesitated, unwrapping the object. Beneath the soft royal blue cloth lay the shiny, polished metal of the blade of a sword reflecting the light back on him. Beyond that was the hilt, brilliantly carved to allow for easy holding. A jewel was embedded in the center of the handle, and one at the top, more as a decoration. Though it was large in size, it was remarkably lightweight and therefore would be quite easy to wield. Daisuke was no expert on swords, but he had handled a few in his life and was able to tell that this particular object was most likely worth more gold than he had ever seen. "I - can't!" he protested, eyes pleading. 

Hikari paid no attention to his eyes or his words. She turned away, facing Takeru, who'd been silent and unmoving and therefore nearly forgotten. She shut her eyes and spoke in solemn even tones: 

"That sword belonged to my grandmother. Females were not generally permitted to carry swords then, even the queen of a nation, but as my grandfather could not always protect her, he taught her the art of the sword so that she might protect herself. Grandmother would not wield a simple sword however, and so he had many fine craftsmen make one that was an ornament in as much as it was an instrument of defense. 

"It was definitely used, however. Grandmother was skilled, so I'm told, and that sword saved her life several times. It is not to be taken lightly as a weapon. When Grandmother grew old and unable to use it, she passed it to my mother so she might learn. Father taught my mother to use it, and she has passed it on to me now that I am of the age where I might require protection. I give it you because it is mine to give." She turned then to face Daisuke. "It will serve you well."

There was a long moment of silence as he examined the weapon, turning her words over in his mind and considering it. "If you think I will need it, then I will take it," he said slowly, with hesitation in his voice. He met her eyes, some amount of confidence in his own. 

"You shall most definitely need it," Hikari replied after a moment, and her voice held no trace of doubt. 

"What do you think will happen? What did you dream?" he wondered, curiosity overwhelming him.

Hikari shook her head and broke his gaze to turn to the floor as though it was too painful to speak of. "I cannot say," she said, so softly it was difficult to hear her. "Just promise you'll keep it with you."

Daisuke nodded, standing then and taking the precious weapon with him. "I will." He turned to leave, lifting the flap of the tent.   
  


"Daisuke...," her voice was soft again, and he barely heard it. He turned his head. When she didn't continue, he spoke aloud. 

"Yes?" 

There was some amount of fear in her voice now. She'd turned to stare at the back wall of the tent. "Will you do something else for me?"

"Of course," he said, concerned at the sound of her voice. 

She turned then so that she was facing him, but did not look in his direction. Instead, she stared fixedly at the floor. "When this - fighting is over and everything returns to normal, I have a request of you." She paused. "I'd like you to teach me."

She spoke so softly that even Takeru, standing arm's length away, could barely hear her. There was a long moment of silence, and at first the blond observer wondered if Daisuke had heard the request at all. But the boy was only going over the seriousness of the question in his mind. Then, in the solemnest voice he could muster, he replied: 

"I shall do my best."

*** 

It was early morning, the sun barely visible over the edge of the trees. In a small clearing, a few steps away from the Primary Village, five tents encircled a small pile of stones that were most likely used for cooking. A few steps away from the tents were piles of wood and stones, prepared for the purpose of some building project that had barely started.

Not far from the camp was a river, which served as an unofficial boundary between the occupants of the camp and the dangerous forests beyond. From higher points of land or the tops of the trees, one could see several dark obelisks hidden within that forest. 

It had been nearly a week since Hikari's encounter with the Dark Ocean, and things had remained quiet for the camp's occupants. With the distraction of the planning of the building project, none had been willing to reenter the forest and do battle. Hikari herself spoke not a word of the incident, even to her brother who had appeared in secret after hearing of it. The only apparent change in her behavior was a difficulty sleeping. 

Miyako, who shared tent with the princess, attempted to understand or to help her tentmate, but even to Miyako, Hikari was silent about whatever troubles she might have had. As for Miyako herself, she and Koushiro had speculated and debated endlessly about the reasons behind the abduction, but came to no definite conclusion. Miyako suspected that the Light Magic Hikari possessed might have been attractive to the Dark powers within that shadow world, and suspected that giving Hikari that explanation would comfort her. Of course, there was no definite way to prove this, and of course, Hikari could not be told. 

Jyou, knowing nothing of Hikari's relation to magic, suspected her trouble sleeping might have been related to the addition of a third, if temporary, tentmate. As there were limited amounts of tents and Hikari and Miyako the only females, it was decided that Jun would have to share space with them for the duration of her stay. 

Thus, distracted by the problems and concerns of building the winter cabins and the existence of Hikari's problems, the inhabitants of the camp had nearly forgotten about the enemy that lurked within the woods. That, however, would change. 

***

It began early, with a loud noise in the predawn hours that awoke all from their slumbers and caused them to throw on robes or warmer outer clothing and dash quickly out of their tents. They had no way of knowing that the loud noise was caused by a very large rock being dropped from a very high altitude only steps away from the camp, but they were able to quickly discover who was responsible. 

The questions were easily answered in the form of five flying serpents overhead. Even in the dim light, it was not difficult to discern that they were Airdramon. Nor was it hard for any to see the tall imposing figure atop the lead flier or to guess that he was the one who controlled them. 

That sight alone was enough to alarm them, but that was not all that would be seen that day, because behind the commander was the invading army. Some, like the Airdramon, Flymon, and a few Piyomon, flew. Others, like the Gotsumon and Yukidarumon, walked. 

Taichi cursed under his breath. Agumon, standing beside his partner, stared with visible shock. "That's a lot!" the small yellow digimon breathed in amazement. 

"And that's a big rock," V-mon noted.

Their partners wasted no time with words, seeing that the rock was about to land directly on them. "Run!" Taichi shouted, grabbing his partner by the claw and dashing quickly aside. 

"Spinning needle!" the Airdramon shouted, aiming directly for them and dropping its rock cargo directly on the tent they'd just exited.   
"That was too close!" Patamon breathed. 

"Shall we?" Takeru asked. His partner nodded with determination. "Digimental up!"

"Patamon armor evolve! Pegasmon!" The shining white horse appeared in a flash of light, and not long afterward, Takeru was in the sky. 

Daisuke wasted little time, glancing toward his partner to see that he was ready and nodding. "Digimental up!"

"Right," V-mon replied without hesitation. "V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!"

Jun screamed loudly at the sight of the encroaching army and again when the rock that fell on the tent a short distance away. She didn't notice the lead Airdramon flying an even shorter distance above her head and preparing to drop its own rock. Miyako, however, did notice, and took the only logical course of action. 

"Digimental up!" she shouted instinctively, and heard Hikari's voice echo her own. 

"Digimental up!"

"Hawkmon armor evolve! Holsmon!"

"Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!"

"Let's go!" Miyako decided. She climbed quickly on her partner's back and grabbed Jun's arm, pulling her along. Holsmon managed to take off only seconds before the giant stone landed where they'd been standing. 

"Koushiro, look out!" Iori shouted as the Airdramon, now relieved of its cargo, zoomed directly at the wizard. "Armadimon! Do something! Digimental up!"

"Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!"

"Spinning needle!" the Airdramon fired, and Koushiro dodged by too close of a distance. The flying serpent flew higher, preparing to turn and come back for another pass. The attack missed the group and crashed uselessly into the supply tent, where thankfully there was no one to be hurt. 

"Don't suppose you can evolve?" the wizard questioned of his partner as he tried to comfort Jyou, who was quite shaken up. 

"I can try," Tentomon replied with a shrug. "Tentomon evolve!"

There was a brief flash of light, but nothing. "It was a long shot," Koushiro sighed. 

"Here it comes again!" Gomamon shouted a warning as the Airdramon flew closer. 

"And here comes the ground forces," Digmon commented, placing his drills to the ground and preparing to attack the oncoming Gotsumon. 

"Duck!" Jyou shouted, flattening himself along the ground. 

"Spinning Needle!" the Airdramon attacked again, but this time the spiny needles bounced off an invisible barrier and landed on the ground. 

"Woohoo!" Gomamon cheered. "Great shield, Koushiro!"

Koushiro lowered the invisible shield to save his magical energy and shrugged modestly. "Not too difficult, really," he replied casually. 

When the Airdramon came around to attack the second time, Takeru was safely in the air. As it zipped past him, Pegasmon fired his own attack and managed to crack the dark ring around the creature's tail. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon fired from below, and succeeded in cracking it the rest of the way. The Airdramon screamed in pain and flew upwards and away from the scene of the battle, no longer having interest in the fight now that he was freed. 

"All right!" Daisuke cheered, pleased at the result of the teamwork, but Taichi quickly brought the younger boy to the ground again. 

"Ground troops," he said in a low voice, pointing towards the tall, lumbering Yukidarumon that were heading toward them. 

"And more in the air," Agumon pointed towards the horde of Flymon that was also getting closer.

"Not more Flymon," Daisuke grumbled, remembering the last time he'd encountered one of those flying creatures and shuddering. 

"Angry Rock!" came the battle cry of a controlled Gotsumon not far from him, and the creature ran full speed towards him, rocky head ducked in intention of head butting his opponent. 

"Fire Rocket!" shouted Fladramon in response, surrounding the creature and a dozen like him in a circle of fire. 

"Shooting Star!" Pegasmon called, freeing a group of them with one shot and leaving them dazed and confused. 

"Baby Flame!" Agumon fired, tired of being left out of the battle, and freed a few more of the small creatures. 

"That was cutting it a bit closer than I would have liked," Miyako sighed, holding onto her partner's feathers with one hand and Jun with the other. 

"Just a little!" Jun replied, still a bit dazed and afraid. "What's going on?" 

"I believe we've been ambushed," Holsmon answered. "Should I get her somewhere safe first, Miyako?" 

"That would be the best idea," Miyako sighed. "But where can we take her?" 

"Wait a minute," Jun interrupted. "What do you mean, somewhere safe?" 

"Do you really _want _ to be caught in the middle of this?" Alraumon questioned. She'd latched tightly to her partner and had not let her go. 

"Look around," the girl replied sensibly. "Is there anywhere safe around here? We'd probably have to go some distance, and then we'd risk being followed by one of those crazy flying things." She pointed towards the Airdramon. 

"We're already being followed by them," Holsmon commented, swerving upward in an attempt to throw the flying serpent off his tail. 

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon attacked from somewhere behind them, injuring their attacker and denting the dark ring. 

"Pull up!" Miyako ordered, abandoning her concern for Jun for the moment. "Hold on tight!" 

Holsmon came to a quick stop and pulled up. The fast-moving Airdramon, unable to stop as quickly, flew past. Quickly, the large bird changed direction. "Red Sun!" he attacked, just managing to hit the tail, and the dark ring around it. 

"All right!" Miyako cheered, forgetting for a moment that there were still more enemies to fight. "Great job, Hikari, Nefertimon!" 

"Watch out!" a shout from somewhere below her on the ground called, and she saw that Koushiro, Iori, Jyou, and two doctors that had not been sent home were throwing themselves at the ground to avoid a dive bombing Airdramon. Miyako saw that Koushiro was extending magical shields in order to protect them, but although the shields repelled the spinning needle attacks, they were weakening against the power of the Airdramon itself. 

Digmon and Iori, with some assistance from Tentomon, were able to hold off the encroaching ground forces, including two dozen Gotsumon and a few Yukidarumon, but they were nearly helpless when it came to the Airdramon. 

Hikari flew closer to Miyako. "Shall we assist?" she questioned, and Miyako nodded. 

"What, exactly, does she mean by 'assist'?" Jun asked as Hikari flew around to the other side of the group on the ground. 

"I think she means we take out that Airdramon," Alraumon replied. Miyako, paying no attention to her passengers, was coaxing Holsmon into the correct position for the attack. 

"Red Sun!" he called, firing his attack and hitting the Airdramon sharply on the head. 

"The head?" Jun wondered. "I thought you were supposed to take out that dark ring?" 

"It's hard to aim from so far a distance," Holsmon defended himself as the Airdramon, now uninterested in the helpless people on the ground, turned towards the real fight and began to pursue the flyers. 

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon called, bringing for the giant stone and cracking the dark ring on the Airdramon's tail before it could catch up to Miyako. 

Jun, a bit dazed, groaned slightly from the fast motion of the flying. "I'd guess we should let you off down there," Miyako apologized. "Koushiro might be able to keep you safer than I could." 

"As long as I'm not in the air anymore," the older girl replied, watching the freed Airdramon depart with a slightly green face. 

***

Cliffhanger! [insert evil laugh here!]

If this chapter seems slightly disjointed from the rest of the fic, you're not imagining it. This is actually one of the _only_ things that I've written mostly on actual paper _before_ transcribing to the computer. The reason for this being that I recently moved into a new dorm and there's [gasp of horror] no room for my computer right now! ::sob:: Aside from the other distractions – school, life, etc, I now have the added issue of no personal computer. I really intended to have another chapter out before I went to school but, alas, it was not to be. 

Anyway, I finally wrote the darn thing, and got into a bit of action. Needless to say the fight isn't over yet, and I'm sure some of you can see what's coming. Warn me if you think the foreshadowing is _too_ obvious – I want people to know what's going to happen, but I don't want it to be blatant either. 

Questions, comments, complaints, rave reviews? Leave a review or feel free to email. Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten so far. As you can probably see, this story has a lot to happen and so don't expect it to be over soon. Thanks for reading!


	10. Visions of Battle

In The Dark

Part Ten: Visions of Battle

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: This plot is entirely mine! In this chapter, I am proud enough to stand up and take credit for it! Anyone steals it, they must die! 

::ahem::

The characters within are reasonable facsimiles (I like to believe) of characters not belonging to me. This fabulous plotline is reproduced without any monetary compensation whatsoever. In short, Digimon is not mine. Thank you. 

***

The Airdramon was gone, but the enemy still remained, and the fighting continued. Where one enemy ended and the other remained, Takeru knew not. He clung tight to his partner, seeing openings and weaknesses and trying his best to exploit those of his enemy while defending his own at best.  

One of the obvious weaknesses was Taichi. There was a dark tower somewhere in the area, and because of that, he and Agumon were nearly helpless against the ferocious controlled enemies. Far from simply laying down to accept his fate, the courageous boy and his brave partner fought as best they could. Taichi attempted to throw rocks and sticks at the encroaching digimon, which did little to slow their advance, but did buy him time to escape the more dangerous attacks. 

Yukidarumon possessed the most lethal of the current attacks. The poison stingers of the Flymon were definitely dangerous, but the snow attacks of the giant bear were more far-reaching. 

"Absolute Zero Punch!" called one of the red-eyed snow bears, punching the ground with its fist. The dirt, the grass, the flowers, and even the roots of the trees turned to ice and were covered with a thick layer of snow. A short distance away, Taichi could feel the cold in his feet even though he was not actually hit with the attack. He cursed loudly and tried harder to dodge the attacks. 

As for his partner, Agumon was not rendered helpless merely because of his inability to evolve. He was able to easily dodge the attacks of the weaker Gotsumon and to free a few of them with his own attacks. Unfortunately, freed Gotsumon were far too dazed to be of any use in freeing their partners, mostly because of the intense amount of damage sustained to the head. 

"Can't something be done about this Yukidarumon?" Taichi shouted in frustration, having spent the better part of the last few minutes dodging the blasts of ice. 

Takeru heard the call for help, but was busy trying to defend himself against a Flymon that had somehow managed to corner he and his partner. 

"Deadly Sting!" shouted the enemy in question, firing its stingers. Thanks to quick reflexes, Pegasmon was able to dodge, but just barely. 

"Shooting Star!" he shouted in defense. The Flymon ceased flying as though in pain, and then screeched angrily, attacking with greater strength. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted from somewhere behind, and the dark ring was disintegrated in a single, violent burst of energy. 

***

Jun was relieved to find herself on solid ground again, but not much safer. No sooner had she landed than a barrage of Flymon surrounded the land-bound group. 

"Maybe I should have stayed in the air," she wailed, watching Miyako depart and wondering if perhaps she should have refused the offer of departure.

"Maybe…" Alraumon agreed hesitantly.

"Deadly Sting!" called the Flymon, firing their poisoned needles in unison. Jun shrieked and shut her eyes. Nothing happened. She opened them again. 

"What the - ?" she wondered, having not been present for Koushiro's first use of the protective magic shields. 

"We're saved!" her partner cheered without wasting time wondering how it had been possible. 

Koushiro was far from a novice magician, but he was out of practice, and continually raising a shield large enough to protect them all was making him rather exhausted. He was showing his tiredness now, breathing more heavily and beginning to sweat despite the chilly temperatures of the late morning. 

Miyako and Hikari were attempting to hold off or free even a portion of the seemingly endless swarm of attacking Flymon, but as there were only two of them, it seemed that it would prove to be a long job. Especially when, tired of merely overseeing, their commander began to take an interest in the fight himself. 

The first sign was when Miyako felt the increasing level of magic in the area. She was slowly learning that sometimes one had to rely on senses other than sight – Koushiro was attempting to teach her this – and as a result she was very much aware when the Kaiser, on the back of his usual Airdramon transportation came closer. 

Although she was at first frightened, the sight of the enemy somehow managed to set off a chain of thoughts in her mind. The Airdramon the Kaiser rode upon was the only one of the original flying serpents that was still controlled. 

_'Standing atop an Airdramon doesn't seem like a very safe way to travel,' Miyako thought. __'If it was only to falter -…'_

Suddenly, logic became clear to her without any more conscious thought. Miyako _knew_ what had to be done. Leaning forward so her partner could better hear her, she told her plans to Holsmon. 

***

"That was close," Takeru noted, wiping his brow. He turned back to thank Daisuke and Fladramon, and then he heard the shout. 

"Agumon, look out!" Taichi was shouting in warning, but it was too late. One of the two Yukidarumon had kept him busy while the other had somehow managed to grab the small yellow dinosaur. 

Takeru quickly tried to move into action to chase the Yukidarumon, but the remaining Flymon and Gotsumon moved faster, managing to block the boy and his partner before they could move. 

Daisuke was speedier. Within seconds he'd managed to step in front of the snow creature. Agumon, nearly frozen  by the  grasp of the giant creature, cried out for help. 

"Agumon!" Taichi shouted, but he, like Takeru, was suddenly surrounded by the Gotsumon. 

"Let him go," Daisuke warned, the inferno in his eyes reminding the snowman of his fire powered partner, who stood just behind him. 

The Yukidarumon hesitated. 

Above, a single controlled Piyomon flew away.

***

Holsmon seemed to immediately understand Miyako's train of thought. Before she'd even finished telling him the plan, he was flying. 

"Red Sun!" he shouted, aiming directly for the tail of the Airdramon and, more specifically, the ring on its tail. 

The Airdramon let out a pain-filled scream that echoed off the trees and snow banks and sent shivers down the spines of everyone capable of hearing it. The ring on its tail cracked once, down the center, and then, thanks to a quick flip of the tail on behalf of the creature's own willpower, cracked once more. Split in half, the ring fell uselessly to the ground and then disintegrated. 

The Airdramon was angry now. It cried out again, as loud and pain-filled as the first, but now also irate. It thrashed about, trying desperately to overthrow its passenger. The Kaiser, completely unconcerned, stood his ground until the thrashing became too great. Then, with magic Miyako was clearly able to see, he jumped into the air to avoid the instability of his ride. While still in the air, he performed the twist of the wrist necessary to produce another ring, and effortlessly tossed it in the direction of the Airdramon, which was still squirming about. 

In seconds, it was over. The Airdramon was subdued once more. The Kaiser was atop its skull, appearing as though nothing had happened, and looking smug and content as before. Now, however, he laughed, and his laughter was directed towards Miyako. 

"Intriguing, but pathetic. The odds are completely against you. Why don't you just give in now?" 

Miyako clenched her fists and teeth. "I have no intention of giving in," she shouted, frustrated but determined despite the obvious setback she'd just suffered. 

Suddenly, a panting, exhausted Piyomon landed on the skull of the Airdramon. The Kaiser ignored it completely until it began to tug on his pant leg. Then he kicked it aside. 

"Please master, please. There's something you must know!" the Piyomon cried, regaining its feet once more. 

"I very much doubt that," he answered in a dull, disbelieving tone, but listened to the creature's report. Slowly, a half-smile spread across his face. With something that could almost be considered a pleasant grin, he turned back towards Miyako. 

"Hate to cut this short, lady, but, duty calls," he said by way of explanation, and was gone a moment later. 

Miyako simply stared, watching the Airdramon soar away. "Where - ?" 

"Why'd he take off like that?" Holsmon echoed. "He was winning, wasn't he?" 

***

The Yukidarumon, a tall, cold creature with the most lethal of attacks, yet with a great weakness – fire – peered down with some hesitation at the boy who stood before him and his partner. Without possessing a will of its own – the dark ring had seen to that – the Yukidarumon would ordinarily not have hesitated to dive into battle, its regard for its own life very slim. However, something was stopping it from performing what might be a suicidal act. 

Daisuke didn't particularly care at the moment what was going on in the snow creature's mind. He knew that since Takeru and Taichi were both momentarily helpless, he was the only one who stood a chance of saving Agumon. _And_ he knew that he wasn't eager to give up without a fight. 

Suddenly, a long, dark shadow flew over the area. Unmistakably Airdramon. 

"We haven't time for this!" the Kaiser snapped, fuming. "Just take it and go!" 

Unable to disobey, the Yukidarumon that held Agumon complied. "Absolute Zero Punch!" it shouted, slamming its massive snowy fist into the ground. The ice blasted along the ground, freezing completely everything it touched. Daisuke leapt quickly to avoid the ice. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted, taking a more aggressive stance against the ice. The path of ice formed by the Yukidarumon melted, turned to water and seeped back into the ground. 

"Damnit!" the Kaiser shouted, even angrier now. "Give it to me!" 

Obedient as ever, the Yukidarumon threw the poor half-frozen Agumon into the air. 

"Agumon!" Taichi shouted, struggling with the group of Gotsumon. The only sound that replied, however, was the Kaiser's mocking laugh. 

***

The Gotsumon had been freed, and the more vicious Flymon defeated. With nothing left to fight, the exhausted camp set about cleaning up and licking its wounds as best as possible. 

The surface damage was great. Only one tent survived completely intact, the others having suffered some sort of damage or another. The supply tent was completely flattened. There were, miraculously, few injuries other than minor cuts and bruises. Jyou and the other two remaining doctors set about treating the small injuries. 

Koushiro, exhausted from the continuous raising of magical shields to protect against the Flymon, was offered a rest in the one surviving tent, but he declined, wishing to help clean up instead. 

"Let's see what supplies we can salvage," Miyako sighed, looking at the supply tent. Several days worth of food, as well as bandages and other medical supplies had been stored in there. 

As they filtered through the wreckage with the help of the now-freed Gotsumon, they found they were able to recover quite a bit of food, and Iori and Hikari were delegated to fix most of the remaining food into a meal. It was by now mid-afternoon, and as breakfast had been interrupted before it could be eaten, most were starving. 

Jun was helping to attempt to move the large rock that had been dropped on her brother's tent. It wasn't easy. After the recovery of some rope from the supply tent, they'd attempted to wrap the rope about the rock and then simply pull, but even with most of the camp and the freed Gotsumon working together they were unable to lift it. 

Koushiro, always interest in trying to solve problems, suggested perhaps wrapping one end of the rope over a tree branch and perhaps then holding the rock in the air long enough to recover what was underneath it, but there were few trees in the air that looked as though they would be able to support the weight of the rock, so that was abandoned. 

"This is just way too difficult," Jun sighed after the tenth attempt to pull the rock. Her arms were tired and, like all the others in camp, she hadn't eaten. 

Koushiro, too, was frustrated. "If I wasn't so exhausted, then I'm sure I could manage to use some sort of magic," he sighed. "Then it wouldn't be a problem." 

Miyako's ears perked up at the mention of magic. "Could I?" she wondered. "I'm not tired in the least." 

The wizard frowned. "Perhaps," he agreed. "It's not a difficult spell. It just takes a very large amount of energy. I'm not sure you shouldn't save your energy for later."

"At any rate, wouldn't it be helpful if you could have some food before you attempted to learn a potentially draining spell?" Hawkmon suggested, as usual concerned for his partner. 

"Food's ready!" Iori called from the fire, where the only intact iron pot was hanging, full of a stew-like dish he and Hikari had been able to throw together from the salvageable food. The camp gathered quickly, abandoning their work when the smell of food called. 

Miyako took the bowl handed to her and began to eagerly eat the food. She didn't let her hunger distract her from noticing something, however. She glanced up between gulps of food and noticed that, even though Hikari had smiled about taking on the cooking and was talking now without a problem with Jyou, there was a certain sadness in her eyes. 

"If they're not returned by nightfall, we'd best send a search party," Koushiro was saying, frowning thoughtfully. 

Jun agreed heartily, swallowing her food before she spoke: "Who knows what might have happened since then? They could have injured." 

Miyako noted the fearful expression pass over Hikari's face for a brief second before she pushed it aside, saying instead: "Why wait until nightfall then? Let us search before the light grows dim." 

Agreeing, Miyako added her own thoughts: "It would be easier to navigate the forests before the sun goes down." 

Jyou was slowly shaking his head. "Do we even have any idea of which direction to search?" he asked. "It's not wise for us to simply wander all over and get lost ourselves." 

There was sense in his statement, and the others pondered his words. "Did anyone happen to notice a direction they might have wandered?" Iori questioned of those gathered. There was silence as everyone tried to recall. 

With a sigh, Miyako shook her head. "I haven't a clue," she answered. "I was too busy trying to stay alive." 

"Same here," Hikari sighed. "I lost track of all three of them after the rock fell." She glanced in the direction of the flattened tent with a fearful glance. 

Jun was peering into her half-filled bowl. "I think – I might have noticed them running in that direction," she pointed west, "when I was in the air with Miyako. I can't be certain." 

"I didn't see anything on the ground when we were in the air," Alraumon spoke up, shaking her head. "I was trying not to see anything at all." 

"It's possible that we might be able to use magic to track them," Koushiro spoke, "but I'm not exactly certain of the spell or even if it works. I remember seeing it a few times in a book."

Miyako shook her head glumly. "We haven't time to search in books, Koushiro," she reminded him. "Especially since you didn't bring all of them here." 

***

"Agumon!" Taichi shouted, and no one who heard him could deny the pain in his voice. 

"You haven't any right," Daisuke spoke, nearly as angry as his opponent. His eyes flashed fire in the bright mid-afternoon sunlight. "Make slaves from the digimon within your own territory, you have no right here." 

"If I had a right there you wouldn't have bothered to try stopping me," the Kaiser replied, holding the barely-conscious Agumon under one arm. He chuckled slightly. "Surprised you're alive, now." 

"Takes more than Flymon to get the best of me, you'll find. I don't give up that easily," he retorted. "Return Agumon to us."

The Kaiser pretended to seriously consider the matter. "Why should I? You have taken what rightfully belongs to me, have you not?" 

"And you have taken what rightfully belongs to others!" Takeru shouted. "You've taken their free will!"

He snorted then, as though he thought the blonde's argument a joke. "Digimon aren't intelligent enough to have free will," he stated matter-of-factly. "It's only by attaching to a more superior human that they gain any amount of intelligence. With free will they only have the tendency to run rampant and be destructive – as they did before human control." 

"But we don't _control_ our partners," Daisuke returned. "We don't make them into slaves!" 

With a casual laugh, the Kaiser answered: "These digimon aren't bright enough to be partnered with a human. They need to be improved. I lend them my intellect in order to fix their natural deficiency."

"Agumon _has_ a partner. He doesn't need any of your improvement!" Taichi yelled, engaging in the argument for the first time. 

The Kaiser replied with a heavy sigh. "Alas, poor Prince, in this case it has been reversed. It is the human who is unworthy of the partner." 

"And what is it that makes you worthy?" Daisuke questioned, speaking without really thinking of the consequences, as was often his own natural state. "Agumon is kind, generous, and thinks of others, just like his partner. Neither would enslave free-willed digimon simply because they felt they were unworthy. It's you who is a disgrace to _him_ by assuming your own superiority." He spat the last words out violently, the rage in his eyes growing. _This_ was what he was putting his life at risk for? To fight someone with an inflated ego?

He didn't have time to think much beyond his anger, however, because almost before he had finished speaking, the Kaiser reacted. A wave of what Daisuke could only identify as some sort of magic hit him squarely on the chest, knocking him to the ground and making him feel suddenly cold. 

"Daisuke!" his partner called, feeling the brunt on his own and being forced to de-evolve. 

Daisuke slowly and with great effort pulled himself to a sitting position. He breathed deeply for a moment before he was able to talk. "Do you always hide?" he demanded. "First behind your enslaved creatures, and then behind your magic? Are you unable to fight on your own or must you have others do the work for you?" 

Takeru, watching from a few feet away, slowly shook his head. "Are you _insane_?" he demanded. "Do you _want_ to be killed?" 

"Don't provoke him any more," Pegasmon agreed wisely. "We can rescue Agumon later. It won't do any good if you're killed." 

The Kaiser, at least, appeared to consider the boy's questions. "So you wish to fight?" he questioned after a moment. "Then fight we shall." 

***

"The magic in this spell comes from harnessing the power of the air," Koushiro explained as Miyako peered over the page in the book. "Levitation spells as well as spells of communication often draw from the power of the air."  
"Communication?" Miyako echoed. 

Tentomon, buzzing around his partner as always, replied. "Air carries messages," he explained. "Just as it carries the dust and the flying digimon." 

"So how does that relate to the rock?" 

"The rock will need to be lifted with your magic enhancing the power of the air. The air – wind – can lift small things when it has enough power. Almost never would it be able to lift that rock. But, with your magic…" 

"It gains power," she nodded. "So that's why it requires so much energy." 

Warily, the wizard nodded. "I don't know if you even have enough power required," he confessed. "Your magic is strong in small doses, but it's very undeveloped and will need to be focused greatly before you can harness it for large exertions. Still, I've been wrong before about the strength you possess. Perhaps I am wrong again." He shrugged. 

Miyako peered at the page. Koushiro had told her to ignore the words of the spell. _"You haven't used words before, and they won't help you focus in this case, they'll only confuse you."_ Instead, she concentrated on the hand movements described in the text, just as she had when learning the fire spell. Outward hand movements, because the air needed to be drawn in. And then low, stretching arms because the power she would need to draw from within was buried.

A few complex finger movements that she didn't quite comprehend the reason for were added then, she suspected to coax the movement of the air or call on reserves of power. For a few moments, she went over the hand movements so that she could remember them, performing the cursory movements for practice. Finally, she set the book on the ground in front of her, facing the rock. 

"Good luck, Miyako," Hikari whispered softly, and Miyako was dimly aware of the small gathering that was observing her. It wasn't hard to concentrate, though. First she needed to draw on her magic power, enhancing it and drawing her aura in tightly. Then she expanded it slowly, gaining ever greater control on it before she sensed that her magic was ready to respond to the demands she would soon put on it. 

Only then did she open her eyes, and only to confirm what her magical senses were already beginning to recognize. Her aura was expanded enough so that her magic could be used now. She glanced briefly down at the book again before she began to perform the hand and arm movements she'd recognized. 

The spell she was now performing was the most difficult to perform. The previous spells – her experiment with the creation of a shield and the fire spell Koushiro had taught her – were both drawing mainly on her own power and manipulation of her aura. The levitation spell required to lift the rock drew power from the outside elements . 

Thus the magical power that she used for this spell was great from within, calling the air around her and then using her magic to augment its strength. She felt a loose breeze on the back of her neck and another rustle through the fabric of her skirt, nipping past her ankles and ruffling the other side. She felt a brief spark of magic crackling against her aura, and then another, and she knew that the air was responding to the call of magic. 

She expanded the aura greater, stretching it as far as she could possibly go, and letting the power of the air fill it. Her own magic reached for the power of the air, and the air sought the power her magic brought. Together, their energies grew stronger and even more potent.

Miyako slowly maneuvered the giant pocket of magical energies around the rock. _'Lend me the power, Air,'_ she thought, half pleading. Already, she could feel her magic begin to drain, weakening her slowly. 

The Air appeared to have heeded her call, though, because she was managing to lift the rock. She saw, but hardly would have believed it had she not. The rock lifted, slowly, gradually, a short distance above the ground. The observers quickly scrambled away in case Miyako needed to let the rock drop swiftly and their toes were in the way. 

She only needed move the heavy object a few feet so that the flattened tent was free. Miyako didn't know how far she managed to move it, but when she could do no more, she set it down. Slowly, she reigned in her aura, tired, overtaxed, but successful. The Air, freed from its containment, scattered into the wind, only a few small breezes fluttering through locks of hair to signal that it had ever been there before. 

Miyako watched with some unknown sadness, as though she and that air had been connected for some time and now were not any longer. A cool breeze blew past her ear. 

In the distance, she thought she heard someone shout, loudly, "No!" She strained her ears to hear it and then suddenly saw something. She didn't know where the image came from or what caused it to replay within her mind. As though a dream, she saw a battle. Sparks of energy. Dark magic. Clash of swords. 

Miyako was confused. She'd seen this before, hadn't she? The strange battle of wills with that electric spark. She'd felt it before the magic within her had made itself known. She'd felt the magic then, too, though she hadn't known what it was. All present had felt that magic, even those who would never experience it again and had no idea what it was they felt. 

The bloodthirsty eyes. The unyielding sword thrashes. The battle of wills that could never be won. If only she could remember where she'd seen this…

And then Miyako saw no more. 

***

Yes, yes, another cliffhanger. Feel free to send the threats. ^_^

Sincere, deep apologies for the immense delay in posting this. I now, thankfully, have access to a computer of my own (and henceforth all my digimon files!) and so this cliffhanger will not take quite so much time to be finished…I hope…

Also must apologize for the blatant and convenient plot device of the Piyomon. I could have used a much more complex device of magic or some other thing, but I didn't. I admit, I took the lazy way out there. ^_^ 

On the plus side, I think I got a better look in this chapter into the Kaiser's personality. Although I can fairly easily understand and/or sympathize with Ken, this part of his life is completely foreign to me. In this part, I actually gave him some motivation, dialogue, and therefore a reason to exist. Before I admit I was nearly afraid of writing him because I didn't really understand him. Hopefully this will improve that aspect of this story, which is very much important in this section, as I'm sure you know. 

And I'm sure that even though you're sending threats of death if I don't finish this, you all have a good idea of what's coming next. Anyone who didn't catch the foreshadowing in the Reign of Courage to the upcoming battle will surely see it soon. Next chapter won't be so long in coming! Thanks for reading, reviewing, and staying through my rambling author's note of explanations. ^_^


	11. Visions Enacted

In the Dark

Part Eleven: Visions Enacted

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Does Digimon belong to me? What do you think? Of course not! The plot, however, is. Please don't steal. 

***

"Miyako?" Hikari questioned, concerned now. She waved a hand in front of the other girl's face. Miyako didn't reply. She was whispering something, too softly to hear. Then she shut her eyes and collapsed. 

"Is she all right?" Jun asked, rushing to assist. "What happened? She moved the rock without a problem."

"I don't know," Koushiro admitted. "Maybe she's weakened more than she seemed to be." 

Hikari shook her head. "No, that's not it," she disagreed. 

"Let's get her inside," Jyou decided, taking charge. He motioned for Iori to help him. 

Koushiro looked at Hikari curiously. "What do you think it is?" he questioned. 

"I've seen my brother like this before," she answered solemnly. "She's had a vision of some sorts. She saw something." 

***

Takeru was fixed with an odd sense of déjà vu when he saw the two fighters face each other. "Are you _insane_?" he shouted, aware he was repeating himself. "Daisuke! You can't fight him!" 

But he knew even as he spoke the boy would no sooner listen to him than he would throw himself onto a fire. He shook his head slowly. _'Hikari, how did you know?' _he wondered to himself. 

It had been right after Taichi had arrived and the building had begun. Only yesterday? It seemed to Takeru as though this day had lasted a week. He'd decided to help with the construction project when Hikari had stopped him and asked if she could speak with him alone. 

"There's something that's been bothering me, Takeru. I wonder if I could ask you something?" 

"Of course," he'd replied confidently. "How can I help?" 

She'd pulled him into her tent, empty of all other occupants, and told him to sit. Nervously, she'd paced about before finally getting to the issue at hand. "I've had these dreams, you know…"

"We all do," he'd answered uncertainly. 

"Yes, yes." She'd waved this aside. She was hesitant a moment more before she continued. "I don't know if anyone told you this, but before Daisuke was hurt – by the Flymon? I dreamt that." 

"Dreamt it?" he'd repeated, not quite comprehending. 

"I saw it, in a dream. Before I came here." 

"Is that – magic?" he'd wondered. 

"They tell me it's not. I can't help but feel something's being kept from me. From Taichi, too. He has dreams like that often. But, that's not what I want to talk to you about…"

"What then?" 

"I've had another of these dreams." She sat down, looking for a moment at the ground. "For a few nights now. And I wonder that… If this one is true as well, Takeru, I don't want it to happen." 

"What was it you dreamed?" he'd questioned. 

"A battle," she'd answered, her eyes focused on something he could not see. "Daisuke was fighting…stick against sword." She shook her head as though willing the vision out of her mind. 

"Who was he fighting?" Takeru had questioned. 

"I don't know," she'd admitted in a whisper. "But he didn't win. In fact, it was a horrible defeat." She turned her head then to fix pleading eyes upon him. "I cannot let that happen!" 

"But if you don't know when or how the battle takes place, - or even who he's fighting? What then can you do to prevent it?" 

Hikari had no answer. "I don't know, Takeru," she'd answered, her voice on the edge of tears now. "But I cannot just let it happen!" 

"I know, I know," he'd assured, embracing her. "We'll think of something…"

***

Miyako awakened only a few minutes later. Jyou, sensing that it had only been a faint and not a more serious injury, advised the use of smelling salts, which revived her easily. She was surprised to find herself lying on a cot in the only still-standing tent in the camp. 

"Better?" Jyou questioned, peering over her. 

She nodded, confused. "How did I get here?" 

"We carried you," Iori replied. 

"What happened, Miyako? You moved the rock easily, but then you seemed to stare off into space, and then you fainted," Hawkmon spoke up. 

"I – I saw something," Miyako said, slowly. 

The tent flaps parted and Koushiro and Hikari entered. "Ah, you're awake," Koushiro noted. "Good job moving that rock." 

"Are you all right, now?" Hikari questioned hesitantly, worry in her eyes. 

"I think so," Miyako replied slowly. 

Hikari glanced meaningfully at Jyou and Iori. "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with her alone," she stated, half as a question. The two left a moment later. Koushiro, however, remained. 

"Hikari seems to think you may have had some sort of a vision," Koushiro explained to Miyako's confused look. She sensed the expression on his face was to serve as a reminder that any information about Hikari's magic was to be kept secret. 

"I – I think I might have," Miyako replied hesitantly. "I saw a battle…"

Hikari nodded slowly, sighing. "Daisuke is fighting, isn't he?" 

Miyako glanced at Koushiro momentarily before she nodded. "Yes…he is. How did you know?" 

Hikari waved the question aside. "What did you see?" 

"I'm not sure," Miyako admitted. "Just that there was a battle…clashing swords, some sort of electricity…magic in the air, I know." She paused. "It felt very much like something I'd seen before, but I cannot remember when…"

"Who was he fighting?" Koushiro questioned. 

***

__

'This has definitely happened before,' Takeru thought, certain of it now. Daisuke had a strange, uncharacteristic look in his eyes, almost bloodthirsty. 

So, however, did his opponent. The Kaiser was as aggressive as Daisuke from the start, lunging directly at him before they could have the moment of 'sizing each other up' and trying to detect the other's strengths and weaknesses. 

The swords clashed again and again, the violent clanking of metal echoing throughout the forest. Compelled in part by anger, in part by principle, and in part by some force neither could identify, they crossed swords again and again, each time both narrowly avoiding injury. 

The competitors were completely silent. The Gotsumon stared, red-eyed and controlled as ever, not taking the least part in the battle. The Yukidarumon stood silently, watching. Takeru clenched his teeth. 

__

'It has to have helped. It has _to,'_ he thought, willing the battle with his mind. What Hikari had seen must _not _come true. 

"There was blood," she had told him when he'd pressed for more details. "A lot of blood. I don't know where it came from, but he was almost covered with it. I couldn't stand to see it." 

"Blood from who?" he'd asked, afraid to know. 

"I don't know," she'd answered in a soft, almost inaudible voice. "But some of it was Daisuke's. He was having trouble breathing, I remember. I was sick because of all the blood but I couldn't leave him to die. I don't know where he was hurt…"

Takeru, wordless, had held her in his arms and tried to comfort her. There was nothing he could say or do, he knew. 

After a moment, she'd continued. "Takeru…I have to stop it, somehow. That has to be _why_ I was shown this vision. Because I can stop it. I won't let him die." More determined now, she sat up, wiping the tears from her eyes and adopting a slightly more decisive expression. "I just wish I knew how…" 

That was when he'd told her that perhaps if Daisuke had a sword he might be able to defend himself in some way. And then Hikari had thought of the particular sword…

'What if it's not enough?' he thought now as the vision Hikari had told him played out before his very eyes. 

***

"I don't understand!" Miyako wailed, frustrated. "I've never had a vision before!" 

"It was the air that did it," Koushiro theorized. "The air also is used for communication, remember? It must have given you an answer that you were seeking." 

"I _was_ wondering where they were…" she admitted. 

Hikari sighed, peering at the ground. "I've seen that vision too, Miyako," she admitted. "In my dreams."

Both Koushiro and Miyako stopped their conversation and gaped in her direction. "When?" he questioned, dumbfounded. 

"For several nights," she admitted. "In the vision, Daisuke had only a stick to defend himself with and that was why I gave him the sword. He was…defeated badly in my vision. I thought that maybe, in some way, I might be able to help if I…" she trailed off. "But now I'm not so sure."

"Did you tell him?" Miyako wondered. 

She shook her head. "I wanted to. I tried to. But I just…couldn't. I told Takeru. He was the one who suggested the sword. But I couldn't… I couldn't tell Daisuke that I…that I saw that."

There was silence for a moment, and then Koushiro spoke: "Do either of you have any idea where this battle is taking place?" 

***

"Ready? One, two, three, pull!" 

Jun gripped the rope in both hands and pulled as hard as possible. With the help of the Gotsumon, Iori, Jyou, the two visiting doctors, and all of their respecting digimon, the center tent pole was raised once more. The tent that had been flattened only a short time ago by a giant rock, was now standing once more, mostly intact. 

The inside objects were another matter altogether. The cots would both require heavy repair, and the center stove was of course useless, but the rest of the items – clothes, books, blankets – were largely unharmed. Jun sighed, peering at the flattened cot and then at the tent which was now standing once more and wondered if her brother was better off having escaped the falling rock. 

Hikari and Koushiro emerged from the other standing tent, followed by Miyako, who assured all that she was fine. Koushiro spoke then, taking on the voice of authority for the moment, and all those present listened: "We need to find the others, and it must be done now, while there are still a few hours of light remaining." 

"And we'll need everyone's assistance," Miyako added. "I know there's work to be done here, but we have to find the others before we run out of time." 

The others nodded in agreement. "We'll leave in no less than five minutes," Koushiro announced. "Put on warm clothes and bring a spare set and a blanket in case they're needed. We'll also need medical supplies in case. Pack lightly." 

With that, the crowd dispersed. "Jun," Hikari said. "I think it very important especially that you come." 

She nodded slowly, understanding. "My brother... he'll need me." 

***

Takeru felt helpless. Only a few feet away from the battle and yet unable to assist. Pegasmon had de-evolved, having spent nearly the entire day in the higher form. Patamon appeared exhausted, and he understandingly held his partner in his arms, comforting him and being comforted. 

"I wish there was something we could do to stop this," Takeru sighed aloud. The Gotsumon stood around him in a circle, however, and he knew that there was little chance of getting past them. He glanced towards Taichi, in a similar circle a few feet away, and was not surprised to see the look of determination on his face. 

Patamon nodded in agreement. "This reminds me of something, you know?" Two swords clashed violently, echoing. Sweat was beginning to appear on the faces of both competitors despite the cold weather. 

"What?" Takeru questioned, eager for the answer. 

Another metallic clang sounded, this time Daisuke having narrowly avoided a blow to the arm. "How you and Daisuke used to do all those swordfights. Remember that?" 

"Hmm," Takeru nodded. "We were never this serious though." _Clang_. The Kaiser intercepted the blade near his shoulder. 

"No, thankfully you didn't try to kill each other," Patamon nodded sagely. "That was more like how Yamato and Taichi would fight." 

Takeru couldn't repress a soft chuckle in remembrance, even though while he indulged in the memory Daisuke was very narrowly avoiding a blow to the head. "That's true," he admitted. "Daisuke and I fight for fun." 

There was another resounding clash of swords. Daisuke moved his entire body to the left to avoid the blows and suddenly found himself on the defensive. He twisted around and swung back, taking a more aggressive stance and somehow becoming the offense again. 

"Still, I think I've seen that expression on his face before, though," Patamon noted, seeing the determined, almost bloodthirsty glint in Daisuke's eyes. 

"I have, too. If only I could remember when…" Takeru sighed. 

Clang! Clink! Clank! Crash! The swords connected again and again. "I wonder if Daisuke knew what he was getting into when he agreed to this," Patamon sighed. 

Immediately, Takeru was somehow swept up into a wave of flashback…

__

"Does he know what he's getting in to?" Yamato wondered.

"Who?" Takeru wondered with some confusion, tearing his eyes from the fight for a moment. 

"Daisuke," Taichi agreed. "He doesn't, I don't think." 

"What do you mean?" Iori now questioned, turning to the older boys as well. 

Yamato shook his head, waving both questions aside with his hand. "You wouldn't understand." 

"Why not?" Takeru asked.

"You just wouldn't." 

Takeru frowned, but turned his eyes, momentarily, back to the fight. "What is he getting in to?" 

"Something serious," Taichi replied, just as mysteriously as Yamato.

"What?" 

"Just something, Takeru. Drop it," Yamato half-ordered, his voice impatient now. "Just watch." 

"I didn't understand then, brother, but I think I understand now…" Takeru noted. "He's in something very serious…"

"What?" Patamon wondered. Step, swipe, _Clang_! Step back, block, _Clang!_ The fight went on. 

"I remember now," Takeru continued. "When Daisuke fought Ken. There was that look in his eyes. Both of them. And my brother and Taichi both understood that Daisuke was getting into something serious he didn't understand. I didn't either, then. But now, I think I do…" 

***

"This way, I think," Miyako said after a moment. "I sense the magic from that direction."

Koushiro nodded. "As do I. It feels very dark…" 

"That would be the Kaiser's magic," she informed him as they began to walk. "It feels stronger when you get closer." 

"How far do you think we are?" Jun wondered, lifting the bag she'd packed over her shoulder. "Maybe you should see if you can see anything from the sky." 

"Not too far," she replied. "But I'm not sure if we'd see anything from up there." 

"Wouldn't hurt to look," Hikari agreed. She turned to Tailmon, following solemnly behind her. "Shall we?" 

Tailmon nodded. "It will make things much faster." 

"Digimental up!" 

"Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!" 

"Are you sure that's wise?" Miyako wondered. "Maybe I should go instead…"

Hikari shook her head, climbing onto her partner's back. "No. I need to do this, Miyako. Just find my brother." With that, she was gone, she and Nefertimon soaring high over the treetops. 

***

The trees provided good cover with which to watch. Neither would know he was there. Silently, fearfully, he watched the battle taking place below, careful to let no one see him. 

The fighters were moving away from the group assembled. The blond boy – Takeru – was agitated about this. He knew – or thought he knew – what would happen, and what this was about, and didn't relish the thought of loosing sight of them, but of course he was ignored. 

The watcher in the trees looked upon the blond boy with sympathy. 

***

High in the air, Hikari spotted them almost instantly, or rather, heard them. The clanking and clanging of metal on metal echoed throughout the forest. She was surprised to see that they were alone, and saw no sign of any others. 

"Shall we stop them?" Nefertimon questioned, wondering her partner's next move. 

"I – don't know if we can," Hikari admitted. "Or even if we should." 

They hovered above the treetops for a few moments, watching as the swords clanked viciously below. The battle was silent aside from the swords; neither combatant spoke. Hikari sensed something strange about that. Often, when Takeru and Daisuke, or Yamato and Taichi would fight they would often taunt, tease, and generally antagonize each other. This was different, however, perhaps because the stakes were higher. 

They were sweaty and tired, however, and their mental determination would outlast their physical strengths. Both had been fighting since early morning, and it was now a few hours past noon. Hikari held her breath with each clash of the sword, knowing that one of those must soon be the last and knowing that she had no real way of preventing what was to come after. 

"Let us land, at least," she suggested to Nefertimon, wanting to be close, at least. 

"Within view?" her partner questioned. 

"Just out of it, I think," she answered. "Behind them. We'll watch from the cover of trees." 

***

"Closer, I think," Miyako reported. "Not much further." 

"Who's there?" questioned a gruff voice. 

One of the Gotsumon in the group of searchers spoke up. "I know that voice! That's our friend. Still under the Kaiser's control, I'll bet." 

"Most likely," Koushiro agreed with a frown. 

"Allow us," Armadimon volunteered. "Iori and I didn't get much of a workout today." 

"I would rather we had gotten no workout at all," Iori replied solemnly, but raised his digivice and called: "Digimental up!"

"Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" 

"Hey!? Who goes there?" the controlled Gotsumon questioned again, voice closer this time. 

"Big Crack!" Digmon called, pushing his drills to the ground. The Gotsumon was caught off guard. 

"Ooh. Let me help!" Tentomon offered, eager to be of service. "Petit Thunder!" 

The dark ring around the Gotsumon cracked easily, leaving the unfortunate creature dazed. While the other freed Gotsumon tried to help him to recover, Iori and Digmon led the way deeper into the woods. Iori, easily the smallest human member of the group, slipped between the bushes to get a better look at the situation. 

"What do you see?" Miyako asked. 

"Two Yukidarumon," the boy reported. "One's holding Agumon. I'd guess that had something to do with the situation and the fight. Takeru and Taichi are both surrounded by Gotsumon. Patamon's de-evolved. V-mon's there, but…no sign of Daisuke. Or the Kaiser. It's like they're waiting for something." 

"The fight probably moved off and they didn't have orders to follow," Koushiro sighed. He glanced at the small group that was gathered. "We're going to have to try to take out the Gotsumon, and the Yukidarumon." 

"But we need to do it without hurting anyone," Miyako interrupted.

Koushiro nodded. "We'll need everyone's help. Now…here's the plan…"

***

Takeru was nervous. Surrounded by Gotsumon and two powerful Yukidarumon, he knew there was no chance of escape or of defeating his enemies. Patamon was far too tired and weak to evolve again, and he himself was tired and hungry. He moved as though to sit on the ground, and found the Gotsumon glaring even more severely at him. He sighed and decided to give up the idea. 

Suddenly there was a rustling in the bushes nearby. At first the Gotsumon didn't notice, but then they detected the sound when it grew louder and more constant. Takeru was concerned. Whoever or whatever was there was most likely had absolutely no idea they were entering into a potentially dangerous situation. 

Three of the Gotsumon surrounding him moved off towards the bushes to see what the noise was. The rest remained behind. 

"Nemesis Ivy!" shouted a voice, and two long, green vines reached out from the bushes, wrapped around the three Gotsumon, and dragged them into the bushes. 

"Petit Thunder!" called another voice, followed by electrical crackling. There was no more noise. 

Takeru rejoiced. He was fairly certain he recognized both of those voices, which gave him hope at the bleakness of the situation. But – what was their plan? 

***

"Should I de-evolve?" Nefertimon questioned. "I can move more quietly if I do." 

Hikari shook her head. "No. I think we might need to get out of here quickly. Keep this form." Silently as possible, she moved through the bushes, careful not to alert either of the combatants. 

One of them, unfortunately, was quite aware she was there, and fully intended to do something about it. 

***

The Gotsumon were apparently programmed in some way to be alert to the loss of their comrades, because a second later, two other Gotsumon ran to the place where the other three had been dragged into the bush.

"Angry Rock!" shouted a group of voices in unison after the Gotsumon had disappeared into the woods. Then there was no more noise. 

Taichi spoke for the first time since Agumon's abduction. "It would appear they are attempting a rescue," he observed.

Takeru nodded. "Let's hope they succeed." 

***

The swords clashed again, and then again. Then, by some unspoken and mutual agreement, both combatants paused in their fighting, wiping the sweat from their brows and breathing deeply. 

Hikari barely dared to breathe. Could it be that they had decided the fighting was useless? Had they decided on a winner, even though miraculously neither was injured? She suspected neither was the truth, and yet – why _had_ they stopped? 

Daisuke was sweating, breathing heavily, but focusing on nothing else but his opponent, standing, less exhausted than he, only a few feet away. He clutched the sword she'd given him as though it was a lifeline – without knowing that, in some ways, it was. He was unaware of the distance they'd moved from the others, and, to be honest, didn't much care. 

Now, however, he broke his silence. "Do you give in, then?" he asked. 

The Kaiser threw back his head and laughed. "If that is what you consider a victory, then you have obviously never experienced one," he answered, his tone as mocking as ever. Hikari shuddered. 

"You haven't won yet, either," Daisuke replied. "I don't give in." He raised his sword again.

"Nor do I," the Kaiser replied, but did not lift his own sword. "You must have practiced." 

Confused, Daisuke questioned: "Practiced?" without lowering his weapon. 

"Hmm." His opponent nodded. "You've improved a bit. This doesn't mean, of course, that you have a chance of beating me, but only that you have a chance of survival." 

"I've held my own this long," he shot back defensively. "I've no intention of giving in because your ego dictates my odds are low." 

The Kaiser laughed again, a noise which had begun to grate upon Daisuke's nerves. "My ego? Try logic. Facts. Mathematical facts. You haven't a chance of winning this battle." There was silence for a moment. "I give you an option. Give in now, and I'll spare your friends." 

"What?!" 

***

Six of the Gotsumon had been removed. Six remained, but now, the number of Gotsumon free had increased from five brave volunteers to eleven total. Eager to free their brethren, the captured Gotsumon were quick to join the ranks of the other five once the situation had been explained and their confusion had worn off. 

Thus, the numbers were sufficiently on the side of the free to permit a full-fledged attack. Digmon emerged from the clearing first, shaking the ground and causing the remaining Gotsumon to quake violently. Takeru, seeing in advance what would happen, tried his best to avoid the attack. Thus, when the ground began to wobble, he took advantage of the creature's distraction to run to the safety of the trees. 

"Petit Thunder!" Tentomon fired again, eager to be of use again. 

"Absolute Zero Punch!" called the Yukidarumon not holding Agumon. He slammed his massive fist into the ground, causing the crack Digmon had created to cover with ice, therefore making a more solid surface once more. 

"Darn it," Digmon muttered. "Gold Rush!" He resorted to his other attack, firing his drills in the direction of the giant icy bear. 

The Yukidarumon was completely unaffected, however, for he grabbed the drills easily from the air, and those that did hit him embedded themselves in the snow with little damage to the creature itself. 

"It's got to be freed somehow!" Iori shouted in encouragement to his partner. "Aim for that ring!" 

"I am!" Digmon shouted in response. "He intercepted." 

"Looks like we might need you after all," Miyako told her partner. "Digimental up!"   
"To the rescue! Hawkmon armor evolve! Holsmon!" 

"Are you crazy?" Takeru shouted, grabbing Taichi's arm. He was beginning to feel as though he was surrounded by insanity. "Come on!" 

Taichi had run in the direction of the Yukidarumon, concerned for the safety of his nearly frozen partner. However, he had no defense, and Takeru was certain he would be frozen if he got much closer. "Agumon!" he shouted loudly, struggling against Takeru's grip. 

"A little help?!" Takeru shouted, quickly loosing the battle of strength. 

Koushiro appeared a moment later, gripping Taichi's other arm. "Taichi, there's no point in killing yourself over it. Let us take care of it. Come on," he said, attempting to reason with him. 

Of course, reason had no place in Taichi's mind at that moment, however, and so Koushiro and Takeru simply resorted to attempting to drag the boy from the scene. How, exactly, they were going to _keep_ him away from the scene, however, was another matter entirely that they hadn't thought of. 

Thus, the moment they loosened a hold on his arms, Taichi ran quickly back into the center of battle. Takeru, frustrated as anything by this point, dashed out behind him and threw his entire exhausted body into trying to stop him. 

Koushiro decided that a more permanent solution might be required. Thus he searched his memory for a sleep spell. 

Ignoring for a moment the chaos around him, the wizard raised his arms above him and harnessed the remainder of his magical power that he had not used that morning in producing the numerous shields. He took careful aim with his hands and the spell crashed dead into the back of Taichi's head, causing him to grow weak and his eyes to droop. A moment later he was unconscious in Takeru's arms and needed to be dragged again back to the safety of the trees. 

***

"You heard what I said," the Kaiser replied, his voice somehow cutting through the fuzziness in Hikari's head. 

There was an agonizing few seconds while she stared at the Kaiser, then at Daisuke, then back to the Kaiser. Neither she nor Daisuke bothered to debate whether or not he was serious; they were certain he was. 

Daisuke hadn't bothered to lower his sword or his defenses, even at the Kaiser's announcement. Now, he gripped it even more tightly as he replied: "I don't intend to lose." 

The Kaiser, laughed, amused. "I don't believe you have a choice." He raised his left hand and pointed it directly at the bushes behind which Hikari was hiding. Too surprised to move, she was completely defenseless when the blast of dark magic hit her squarely in the chest and knocked her unconscious. 

***

::ducks flying tomatoes, shoes, and other rotten-smelling things:: I know, I know. I said the last cliffhanger wouldn't take long to revise. I lied! Seriously though, I didn't expect this chapter to be as long as it is. Stay tuned!


	12. Fights and Friendships

In the Dark 

Part Twelve: Fights and Friendships

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Here we go again. Digimon, all related characters, etc, do not belong to me. I get, unfortunately, no money from writing this, despite the insane amount of time dedicated to it. Yes people, I do have a life. That's why this is so late. Anyway, read on and don't sue me or steal the plot, which is, almost totally mine.

Now might also be a good time to remind all that the rating on this _is_ PG-13. 

***

He stared. Numb, confused, stunned, and suddenly feeling more helpless than he had in a lifetime, Daisuke stared. Unblinking. Dazed. Lost. 

Hikari had fallen from the brush she'd hid behind and lay now, unconscious, amongst the trees. A black mark was visible across her chest where the magic had crashed into her. Tailmon fell beside her partner, unable to keep higher form.

He didn't know what to feel. He felt the weight of the sword in his hand and thought about the irony of her injury. She'd given him that sword so that he wouldn't be hurt. But she was. Badly. 

"No," he whispered, barely audible in the silence. "No…" He shook his head. Louder now, he questioned… "How…?"

She didn't move. Was she alive? Dead? How…was this possible when he'd tried so hard to keep her safe and now, when he hadn't even know she was there… Why _was_ she there? How? Too numb to think clearly, he let the weapon fall uselessly to the ground and took a step towards her. He had to see if she was all right… "Hikari…"

The Kaiser's laugh pierced the silence of the afternoon, and Daisuke felt the cold metal of his enemy's sword at his neck. He didn't move his eyes away from Hikari. Instead, he shut them, certain now that his life would soon be over. 

A voice, then, interrupted. "Don't kill him, please." 

***

"Tempest Wing!" Holsmon called, scattering the remaining controlled Gotsumon into a whirlwind and sending sand, dirt, and ice flying into the face of the Yukidarumon. 

"They've got to be stopped!" Miyako shouted with some frustration regarding the two Yukidarumon. One, obviously a more delicate situation, held Agumon, half-frozen in his arms, and the other was powerfully helping to defend it. With only she and Iori available to evolve, freeing the snow creatures was a far from easy task. 

"Gold Rush!" Digmon shouted, firing his drills at the enemy. One connected with the empty-handed Yukidarumon, and he groaned loudly, but was not freed or badly injured. 

"It's not going to be easy," Iori noted with a discouraged sigh. 

Suddenly, unexpectedly, the Yukidarumon that held Agumon began to run quickly in another direction. "Get back here!" Miyako shouted. Holsmon landed briefly beside her and she climbed quickly aboard. "Follow that snow-mon!" she ordered, determined not to let it get away. 

The other Yukidarumon watched its comrade dash off and then shrugged, returning to the battle. "Absolute Zero Punch!" 

***

"Don't kill him, please," the voice said, softly, fearfully. Daring to breathe again but not to open his eyes, Daisuke wondered where he'd heard that voice before. 

"I told you to stay behind, didn't I?" the Kaiser's voice snapped back. 

"Yes, master. But please don't kill him," the voice answered. 

_ _

_'I know that voice. I know I do,' _Daisuke thought with certainty. He opened one eye. 

"And why the hell not?" 

Daisuke opened the other eye, searching now for the source of the voice. 

"Because he was your friend once. Don't you remember?" 

_'What?'_ Daisuke wondered, confused. He spotted the source of the voice, on a tree branch a few feet away, and blinked in astonishment. 

"I know nothing of what you speak," the Kaiser replied dismissively. "Why _shouldn't_ I kill him? He's nothing but a pest." 

Daisuke stared numbly at the speaker, a small green creature barely visible in the leaves of the tree. "W-Wormmon?" he managed to stammer. 

***  
  


"He moves pretty fast for a snow-mon," Holsmon noted as he soared over the treetops. 

Miyako kept her eyes on the white creature below them. "Keep on him, Holsmon," she advised. "We can't lose Agumon." 

The Yukidarumon was in a hurry. It barreled through the trees at top speed, crashing through leaves and over sticks and rocks, leaving a hastily forged path in its wake. Miyako saw, from the vantage point of the air, the clearing he was about to enter, and also saw the three people within. 

She directed Holsmon to land in the clearing, and they arrived only seconds before the Yukidarumon, giving her little time to asses the situation before the snow creature burst into the clearing. "Ambush," it called, panting deeply. 

The Kaiser, who only seconds before had appeared extremely angered about something, now turned his face into a grin. "Excellent," he noted. He waved his free hand – the one that she noticed was _not_ holding a sword currently at Daisuke's neck – and an Airdramon appeared seconds later. Then he sheathed his sword and leapt effortlessly aboard his transportation. "Next time, you won't be so lucky," he warned his opponent. "I'd suggest you prepare." 

Daisuke merely stared in stunned silence. "Ichijouji…" he muttered, almost too quietly to be heard. 

"Sorry," came a weak-sounding voice from the trees, and then a small green blurb leapt from the tree onto the head of the Airdramon beside the Kaiser. 

Miyako recognized that green blur. "What?" she demanded, confused. "Wormmon?" 

"Wait!" Daisuke shouted, somehow suddenly regaining his ability to speak. "Ken!" 

The Airdramon had been about to depart, and now, in midair, it paused. The Kaiser turned, an angered expression upon his face. "_I_ am the Digimon Kaiser," he said, in reply to the boy's shout. "That name is dead here." He reached out a gloved hand to point at Daisuke. "_This _is your last warning. Next time we meet, you _will_ die." 

The dark magic slammed into his chest for the second time that day, and too weary to take more damage, Daisuke fell, harshly, to the ground. His last glimpse was of the departing Airdramon soaring away above the treetops. 

***

Hikari awoke sharply, suddenly, sweating all over and feeling suddenly hot. She sat up quickly in bed and felt the cool drop of ice on her nose. A moment later and another landed on her hand. She looked up and saw a slow and silent cascade of snowflakes trickle in through a rip in the cover of the tent. As though in a daze, she wiped the dampness away from her face and tried to remember where she was. Tailmon lay beside her, still asleep and appearing peaceful even though the snow was falling on her as well. The white snowflakes disappeared on the white fur of the feline digimon. 

After a moment, it came back to her. The tent, the camp, the mission they were on, the dream she'd had, what she'd seen in the woods. "I must have failed, then," she whispered softly, thinking aloud. 

"Failed in what?" another voice interrupted, and it was only then that Hikari noticed Miyako, standing in the entranceway of the tent, holding a warm mug of steaming liquid in each hand. 

"Is that tea?" Hikari asked instead, noticing the drifting vapors rising from the cups. 

Miyako nodded and crossed the tent in a few steps, handing one of the mugs to her. "It's hot," she warned. 

Cautiously, Hikari took a sip of the liquid, slowly at first until she became accustomed to the temperature. The taste was soothing. "Thank you," she said, feeling strangely peaceful.

The other girl said nothing, choosing instead to sit on the edge of the cot. After a moment had gone by, she ventured to ask again: "Failed in what?" 

"What?" Hikari echoed vaguely, sipping the tea. 

"You said before that you must have failed. Failed what?" 

She shook her head absently. "Not what._ Who._" She frowned, turned away, sipped more of the drink. 

Miyako waited patiently. Drank her own tea. 

"I thought the whole point of being able to see things that would happen would be so you could _stop _them from happening," Hikari said after a few minutes, staring into her mug as though it had the answer. 

"Maybe," the other answered after a moment of thought. 

"Then what would be the point of it?" she demanded, turning away from her examination of the cup. "Why have a gift, a talent, a power – if you can do nothing with it? If there's nothing to be changed?" 

Miyako didn't answer, and so she continued after a moment:  
"If you could use magic, but it didn't do any good, what would be the point of it?" 

"I suppose there wouldn't be any."

***

At that precise time, Daisuke was painfully returning to the real world himself. His stomach rocked violently, threatening to upturn whatever little contents might be remaining in it from the day before. He groaned loudly and wished fervently for a return to whatever blissful slumber he'd been enjoying before that. 

"Oh, you're up," a female voice intruded just as he was rolling over and pulling the pillow over his head in a vague hope of trying to suffocate himself. "I've brought you some soup." 

"Maybe later," returned his muffled voice from under the pillow. "I don't think I'll be eating for a few years, thank you." 

"Oh, nonsense." Jun was used to her brother's stubbornness, and was, on this rare occasion, willing to be patient for a moment. "There's some sort of herbs in it to make you feel better. Makes up for the lack of taste." 

Astonishingly, Daisuke wasn't in the least bit comforted by this information. He groaned louder and pulled the blanket tighter around him, shivering in the cold. "No," he answered bluntly. 

"For goodness sake, Dai, you're not going to feel any better if you don't eat," his sister scolded. 

"I don't want to feel better," he grumbled. "I don't want to feel anything." 

"Just once, couldn't you be reasonable about this?" Jun demanded. "There's no reason to be such a pest! Eat the soup!" 

"Not hungry," he muttered, rolling over. Surprisingly, this seemed to quiet her, at least for a few moments. There would be peace for now, he thought – at least until V-mon awoke. 

***

Takeru groaned with effort as he lifted the log over his head. He'd spent the morning and the previous evening chopping trees and cutting logs, and now it seemed he would spend this afternoon and evening helping to assemble them. 

"A little higher," Koushiro advised from his perch on top of the half-finished cabin. "Just a little higher." 

The log finally raised over his head, Takeru felt his arm muscles strain with the exertion. "Can't…go any higher," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut to ignore the pain. 

"Got it!" Taichi's voice interrupted then, and Takeru felt the weight release from his arms as Koushiro and Taichi lifted the log into place. 

"At last," Jyou sighed, stretching his own tired arms after helping to raise the logs. "Please tell me we're almost finished." 

"Actually, I think that's the last row," Koushiro replied. He glanced down, quickly counting to see how tall the cabin had become. "Yes, yes. Finished with the walls. All that's left now is to do the roof." 

The exhausted builders were too tired to cheer, but they did let out a collective contented sigh of relief. 

***

"A walk?" Daisuke echoed blankly when his sister proposed her plan. "Are you insane? In this weather?" He'd finally been persuaded to eat a bit of the tasteless soup, and it _had_ calmed his stomach, but he was not about to agree to going out in the cold and walking about just for the sake of relaxation. 

V-mon appeared dubious as well. "Doesn't exactly sound safe," he noted.

"Yes," she answered. "I've completely lost my senses. And so have you, so you're going to join me." She tossed a pair of warm pants in his direction. They landed on his head. "And you needn't be concerned about safety. I can keep my little brother safe, so don't you worry." She winked conspiratorially at the small blue digimon, who didn't seem in the least bit reassured. 

"Jun," the younger sibling stated slowly and as calmly as possibly while pulling the garment out of his eyes, "I'm not going walking with you. It's cold, it's snowing, and I'm tire – what are you doing? Give me that!" 

The Motomiya family was known for several things. The Lord Motomiya was a successful businessman and a fair landowner. The peasants who lived in the villages near his home were relatively happy in comparison to some other less profitable sections of the kingdom. His wife had been kind as well, and the family's prosperity had been very well-known in the lands. 

But there was another thing that the family had in common, best evidenced by their two offspring. That trait was a very stubborn strength. Jun, encouraged in some ways by her parents high status to boost her confidence, had shown early in her relations with her younger sibling that she was not going to be considered the 'weaker sex' in this relationship. It had been several years since the two had gotten into physical fights, but they'd come close to crossing that line back into childhood. 

On this particular occasion, the two siblings went tumbling headfirst, fists flying, over that line. 

The action Jun performed that so enraged her brother into action despite his supposedly weakened state was that she grabbed the sleeves of his nightshirt and yanked it over his head before he could move to defend himself. 

"You can't go walking in your nightshirt," the elder child replied simply to his indignant protests. Daisuke launched himself towards the garment, dangling tantalizingly from his sister's arm a few feet away. Jun took a step back and the boy fell off the bed onto the dirt floor of the tent. 

Jun then performed the deadly act of laughter, which of course meant that all attempts at civility and decorum were null and void. V-mon moved cautiously out of the way in order to avoid the battle he saw coming. 

Miyako peeked in through a crack in the tent and witnessed a cloud of dust, feet, and arms that she assumed must be people. A lesser girl would have been astonished, appalled, or perhaps even disgusted, but, as she had three siblings of her own, this girl understood such delicate matters as these. 

Therefore, instead of stepping inside the tent and calling for a halt to such activities, she simply shrugged lightly and walked to the only other standing tent in the camp. 

Hikari had managed to get dressed on her own after a quick self-test of her muscles and bones assured her that most everything was, in fact, in good working order. She was dusty and a bit dirty as a result of the limited availability of hot water in the midst of a forest, but nonetheless managed to look composed and regal as ever and not as though she wanted simply to throw herself on the ground in tears of worry and frustration. 

Maybe, Miyako thought, that was what it took to be a princess. Maybe the magic helped. Or maybe this was only the uniqueness that was Hikari. She looked at her own raggedy, mostly un-washed dress, the hems of which were beginning to unravel and the edges of which were frayed and dirty, and sighed at the thought of her mother's scolding. Never mind that the dress had been mostly ruined while Miyako was fighting for her life, it was still a good dress and somehow Miyako managed to ruin so many of them without hardly trying. Hikari, however, looked as perfect as ever. She smiled when the other girl entered, and only an experienced observer would have seen the worry in her eyes. 

"I'm ready," she said simply. "You said the cabin's almost finished?" 

"Yes. Koushiro told me they've been working at a very quick pace and all that's left to add is the roof. An important addition, and rather complicated to build, but at least the majority of the work is finished. Are you ready to see it?" 

"I'd like to," Hikari answered, standing from the cot. She was a bit wobbly, something that, Koushiro had told Miyako, and assured Taichi, would most likely happen and was perfectly normal. He'd offered much more facts about the type of magic involved and the nature of the injuries, but Miyako didn't pass that information along to Hikari because she didn't appear interested. Instead she took the duty she'd been appointed as temporary caretaker of the princess quite seriously while the rest of the camp was at work in the building of the cabin, and offered her arm as a steadying post. Hikari gripped it tightly and they walked slowly and carefully from the tent. They left Tailmon behind so as not to disturb her sleep. 

The light snow Hikari had felt when she awoke was continuing steadily. Soft flurries drifted down from the gray sky overhead, landing on the heads and shoulders of the two girls as they made their way across the camp. "If the snow continues much longer the roof may not be done in time," Miyako stated with a slightly worried expression. "And if it gets much heavier than this it will be difficult for us to stay here much longer." 

Hikari nodded politely, but she wasn't really listening. She was, in fact, distracted by the noise coming from the other standing tent in the camp. Muffled noises came from within, and the tent appeared to be shaking. "What is all that noise?" she wondered. 

Miyako feigned surprise. "Noise?" she echoed. "I don't know. Why don't we find out?"

Hikari was confused, having the feeling she was being set up in some way, but she nodded in slow agreement. "Yes," she said after a moment. "Why don't we?" 

***

Daisuke lunged, but Jun pulled out of his grasp at the last moment. "Why – are you doing – this?" he demanded, panting as he darted after. "I said I'll go with you into the stupid cold on a damn walk, so give me the shirt!" 

"Nope," Jun answered, laughing and running away at the last moment. "You have to catch me first!" Her voice had a sing-song quality to it that only managed to infuriate her brother all the more. She was enjoying this. 

He had little strength left for running, and little desire to play this game with his sister that made no sense. He stopped in the center of the tent, breathing heavily, and tried very hard not to scream his frustration as loud as he could. He shut his eyes for a moment, calming himself down. _'I can't catch her if I'm angry, I know that,_' he told himself, and tried to remember some sort of relaxing techniques he might have learned at some point. He could remember none and his frustration at his inability to remember these things only made him angrier. He was cold, without a shirt, and determined. Jun was coming closer, he could hear her footsteps against the soft but frozen ground. At the last possible moment, he lunged. 

The tent flaps opened. 

Hikari stared at the flying pile of arms, dirt, and legs that was at the floor of the tent. "What –?" was the only word she was able to force out of her mouth. 

Miyako peered over her shoulder and sighed. "Excuse me, princess. I had no idea they'd keep at it this long." She stepped past the other girl and entered the tent, grabbing a long walking stick that had been left in the entranceway as she went. 

The young apprentice mage cleared her throat with the voice of authority only one possessing of magic can summon. It was ignored. She tried again, and again there was still no response. Finally, Miyako banged the stick on the floor loudly and proclaimed as she had heard Iori announce many times at the palace: "Attention! Princess Hikari will see you Now!" She banged her staff again with the enunciation of the last word. Hikari giggled slightly despite her confusion and slight embarrassment. 

The pile suddenly stopped its tumbling and became two separate human beings. As they detangled themselves and Hikari slowly began to sort out exactly who they were, the sound of muffled laughter came from the side of the tent, gradually growing louder until it was reaching hysterical proportions. V-mon and Alraumon were both turning colors from the effort of laughing. Miyako sighed slightly and offered a hand down to assist the combatants to their feet. 

Jun gripped the offered hand and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Sorry," she apologized, face rather red. "I – uh – guess things got a bit out of hand, didn't they?" 

"It would appear so," Miyako answered dryly. "What happened to our plan?" 

"Oh, I don't know about that," the elder girl replied, glancing toward her brother, who, still sprawled on the ground, had fixed his eyes steadily on Hikari. 

"You – you're alive?" Daisuke managed to stammer, voice barely above a whisper. 

"So are you," Hikari murmured slowly. "How is that possible?" 

"It would seem there's one thing your visions didn't account for," Miyako interrupted.

"What was that?" 

It was Daisuke who answered. "Wormmon."

***

The snow was slowly beginning to accumulate, making the slow work of the roof building even slower.Iori was already hard at work on sealing the walls of the cabin, but Takeru had to continue the hard work placing logs. He and Jyou again lifted one end of the logs into the air and then Koushiro and Taichi grabbed them from above to place them on the roof. Then Takeru and Jyou needed to climb to the top of the building again to help maneuver them into the correct location. It was long, hard work, and Takeru felt his hands and legs grow cold and stiff. 

"The hard work is what we need," Taichi had been asserting all afternoon. "We work hard, it will keep us from feeling bad about ourselves or our situation. So let's work hard!" 

Maybe it was the need to get their minds off of their problems, maybe it was the cold, or maybe it was only a desire to work, but whatever it was, the group had been motivated enough to work and now the roof was half finished. Takeru paused to wipe the sweat from his brow and saw that the sun was beginning to sink into the western sky. He glanced down at the ground – a risky business considering he was at the top of a building – and saw a figure coming closer to them. 

"Maybe you should take a break and eat?" Miyako called up in suggestion. "None of you have eaten since breakfast – you must be tired." 

"Is there any food _left_ to eat?" Takeru questioned practically. The supply tent had been badly damaged during the ambush. 

"Enough to make us some food," Miyako answered. Early that morning the other two remaining doctors had left to make their way back to the palace in a request for some food. It would be a long journey, though, and no response was expected for a few days. 

"Where's Hikari?" Taichi wondered, making his way down the side of the building. 

She pointed back toward the tent. "With Daisuke and Jun. Doing fine." She paused. "I would advise leaving them alone for a bit, though. They both believed the other to be dead." 

***

Agumon slept, feeling weak and tired. The floor was a cold, gray metal, and it felt soothing against his skin. He felt strangely peaceful and calm. 

A loud cracking sound pierced the air and something hit the ground beside him. "Get up!" a voice shouted. "Get up, you useless thing. If I got nothing else out of that disastrous battle, I will make something useful of you." 

The small dinosaur digimon opened his eyes slowly and found himself staring at a pair of dark gray boots. He blinked in confusion, uncertain of his surroundings. 

"Get up, I said!" the voice belonging to those boots shouted again, and this time the whip struck Agumon across the nose. He cried out in pain, clutching the wounded area with his claws. 

"Useless… completely useless." Those were the last words Agumon remembered hearing. The last thing he saw was a strange black ring being tossed in his direction. 

And then he remembered no more. 

***

The snow began to fall harder, burying much of the land in a white blanket of ice crystals. The only creatures safe from it were those taking refuge at Primary Village – the magical shield generated by the energy of newborn digimon assured that the infants and those with them were safe and warm at all times of the year. The rest of the eastern forests were hidden. 

Miyako was wrapped in the warmest cloak she possessed and peering out the only window in the cabin, a hole created by a gap between two logs in the upper sections of the wall. The rest of the building had been constructed flawlessly, meaning no wind or snow could creep in, but it also meant there was no way to see out into the rest of the world.As soon as the building had been completed, Miyako had climbed the shaky ladder to the upper level of the cabin and spread out her blankets and bedding material. Now she sat, reading one of her magic books and listening to the lively conversations around her. 

A temporary heating system had been constructed using three heating stoves salvaged from the tents. It was a complicated mechanism, and had taken several hours to assemble. Now, however, it managed to keep the majority of the cabin warm and toasty. 

"Still snowing?" Jun questioned, interrupting Miyako's peaceful thoughts to hand her a warm cup of tea. 

"Seems that way," she answered, closing her book and taking the mug. "I'm cold still, but I'd rather be in here, behind nice, safe, warm, wooden walls than within flimsy, cold tents." 

Jun sat on the ground, wrapping her own cloak around her and peering through the crack at the still-falling snow. "I agree. Although if I had my choice I'd rather be within safe, warm, stone walls than wood." She sighed contentedly and leaned back against the wall, holding the steaming mug within her hands. "I'm quite glad your sister isn't here though." 

Miyako nodded, thinking of her increasingly pregnant older sister with a bit of regret. "I wanted to be there through the whole of the pregnancy," she sighed. "I never did get to explain to her what was going on. Or to my parents. I hope they're not terribly worried. There just wasn't time." 

"It's all right," the older girl assured her with a calming voice. "Momoe and I have talked about this and we've both decided that it's just best sometimes not to ask questions, just to simply…have faith, I suppose." 

The younger of the two thought about that statement for a long while before she answered: "I wonder which of us truly has the more difficult job." 

***

It was nearly midnight, and yet for some reason or another, Sora couldn't sleep. She'd stayed up late speaking with Momoe, whose continuing bouts with morning sickness and the other joyful aspects of pregnancy were making it difficult to maintain a schedule when it came to sleeping. 

There were other things on Sora's mind as well, including but not limited to the safety of her friends. It was the first time in her limited experience as Chosen that she and Piyomon hadn't been able to assist in the fighting in some way. She knew the others were feeling this uselessness as well, which was why Yamato paced most nights around the courtyard when he thought no one was watching, why Taichi had insisted upon going to the scene, why Jyou (who ordinarily disliked leaving the palace) didn't insist upon returning home at once and leaving another, still competent physician there for emergencies. And it was why Mimi was lounging about the palace, attempting to be useful in whatever way possible but still feeling as though she was without purpose. 

Piyomon was fast asleep on the bed, and so didn't notice when Sora slipped out of the room, restless even after laying in bed for nearly an hour. She slipped into one of the empty rooms facing south and turned her eyes toward the east and the direction of the Primary Village. A few, solemn, silent, snowflakes drifted across the sky, the beginnings of a slow moving storm. Squinting her eyes in the dim light, Sora thought she could make out a mass of dark clouds in the distance. Before she could begin to speculate on this, she heard a shout from below, and in the light of the lanterns hanging from the main gate, she could see a carriage arriving late, pulled by a single worn out and half frozen Monochromon. She could see a bit of snow glinting in the flashing firelight. 

Knowing that the majority of the people in the palace would be asleep and that the travelers would be exhausted, Sora considered going to assist. She was tired, though, and knew that someone would be found to help whomever it was with their belongings. She turned away from the window, disappointed that there were no stars that night, and started back towards her room. 

Early that morning, barely before the sun could peek through the hazy clouds, Sora was awakened by a knock on her door. A boy who'd been covering duties more often now that Iori was gone told her that Yamato wanted to see her. Confused, Sora nodded and told the boy she'd be by as soon as she was dressed. 

"Must be something important if it can't wait until later," Piyomon commented, yawning and peering out the window towards the freshly fallen snow. 

"I wonder if it doesn't have something to do with that carriage that arrived late in the night." 

"What carriage?" 

While Sora changed from her warm but simple nightgown into a warm yet not quite so simple looking dress, she explained about the snow covered wagon she'd seen arrive in the middle of the night. "It was past midnight," she recalled. "And snowing steadily. Anyone sane would have stopped and waited for better roads before continuing. Maybe it was important." 

"Did you see which direction they were coming from?" her partner wondered. "Maybe that would explain why they were in a hurry." 

Sora shook her head and began to slip her shoes on, having finished with the complicated process of dressing. "I didn't notice them until they were already at the gate. I was facing southeast, so I'd guess they came from there, but I can't be certain." 

With speculation aside, both agreed there was little to do but respond to Yamato's request and so went and found him pacing about one of the parlors. Gabumon sat in a chair and watched his partner with a solemn face. There was no one else around, and he was so involved in his pacing he didn't notice she had entered until she spoke: 

"At least you don't brood." It was said with a grin, because both knew of Taichi's habit, and both knew that Yamato tended to try to break the other of the inclination. Ordinarily it might have received a laugh or smile in return, but today, the comment was only met with a shrug. 

"No, pacing appears to be more my style," he answered. "What took you so long?" 

"Well, I would have rushed right down, but I didn't think it would be exactly appropriate, being as I'd just gotten out of bed," she returned. "What's wrong?" 

"There was a carriage last night with the two remaining physicians that were left at the camp at Primary Village. They had a few things to report." 

Sora and Piyomon exchanged glances. "Had a feeling that carriage would be important," the small pink bird mumbled, shaking her head with a sigh. 

"I saw it last night," her partner explained before Yamato could question further. "What news then?"

"Long and complicated story. First it seems that yesterday around dawn there was an unexpected attack on the camp. No one was badly hurt, although a few injuries were sustained." Sora breathed a sigh of relief. "However," he continued, and she took a breath again, "it would appear that two things of importance happened. First being that Agumon was captured." 

"Captured?" Piyomon echoed almost before he had finished speaking the words. 

"Oh my," Sora whispered, feeling slightly weak. 

"He's taking it well, so far as I'm told. Hasn't gone completely off the deep end yet, so to speak." Yamato flashed a grim smile. 

"Yet," Gabumon spoke then. There was silence.

"You said there were two things of importance," Sora recalled. "What was the second?" _'And please let it be better news,'_ she thought. 

Yamato didn't answer right away. He glanced toward his partner, who only shrugged as if to remind his partner that the job of imparting information was his alone. He scratched the back of his head. "Well, it seems that at least the identity of the Kaiser has been determined," he said finally, trying to inject a false note of cheerfulness into his voice. 

"Oh, has it?" she asked in a conversational tone, concerned for the sudden hesitation. Yamato ordinarily didn't hesitate when it came to telling people important things. 

"Yes," he answered in the same tone, glancing toward the window. "It would seem that there were a series of battles and whatnot…I'm not sure of all the details myself…" He trailed off. 

The others waited for a moment. When it became apparent he wasn't going to continue on his own, Sora finally did: "Details aren't important at the moment, Yamato," she assured him. "Just get to the point." She glanced toward Piyomon with a worried expression. 

"It would seem that the person… that we … who calls himself the Kaiser," he paused again, looked at his feet, "…is none other than…"

"Than who?" Sora demanded, frustrated by the drama more than anything else. 

"Ken Ichijouji." 

***

"There must be some sort of plan," Taichi stated, scratching with some burnt wood on a piece of undamaged wood. "If we had some idea of where Agumon's been taken, where the base might be…." He tapped uselessly on the board. 

"I have a feeling that if he went through so much trouble to get Agumon, he's not simply going to let him rot," Koushiro predicted from where he sat nearby. The building had been assembled so quickly, there was little in the way of furniture. The wizard sat upon a pile of thick and sturdy looking books. 

"I'd agree," the other sighed. "I have a feeling we won't need to look for him as much as he'll be dropped into our laps, so to speak." 

The others had gathered round for the discussion. Jyou spoke up now: "I think the most important thing to decide would be who is going out into that territory to fight. We have people injured who should probably not go and yet will most likely insist upon it anyway." His eyes turned conspicuously to Daisuke. Slowly, all others followed. 

"I'm fine," the boy asserted. "I intend to go out there and do my part. Right V-mon?" 

"I'm set if you are," the blue digimon replied cheerfully. 

"Is that precisely safe?" Hikari wondered sensibly, turning back to Jyou. The physician sighed. 

"It would make me and most of the medical profession feel much better if he did rest a few days, but there's no real risk. I must admit there were no serious physical injuries," he admitted. 

"The magic didn't do much more than stun either of you," Koushiro observed, arms folded in thought. "Incredibly lucky, from what I can tell. I have a feeling you won't be so lucky next time." 

Daisuke frowned. "He said as much himself," he answered, nodding. "But I'm not about to do anything risky and get myself hurt." 

Takeru snickered under his breath. "I'm sure," he commented sarcastically, earning a laugh from the rest of those assembled, especially Jun. After a moment, he sobered though. "In this case, I'd wonder that you're willing to do anything at all." His eyes locked on to the other's and now they showed not jest or rivalry, but a serious concern. 

There was a long silence as the other boy thought and the others waited for his response. Finally, after glancing at Miyako briefly, he answered. "I'm not saying I'm looking forward to the experience," he admitted. "But I'm not willing to let anyone get hurt. I _would_ like to somehow see Ken relieved or cured or freed from whatever caused him to be this way." He glanced to the ground for a moment. "But I'm not willing to let him hurt anyone else, either. He's made it clear that he and I are enemies this time around, and I'm not going to disagree with him." 

Miyako spoke for the first time since the meeting had begun. "Are you giving up on a friendship then?" she asked, looking Daisuke directly in the eyes. 

He shook his head. "Not giving up, Miyako. Just…accepting, I suppose." He sighed. "I don't like this situation, but I doubt very much if he'd be willing to let me talk sense into him and…turn him back to our side or anything like that." 

"But you're willing to fight," she argued. 

"Only because I know there's nothing else for me to do," he returned. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt, either." 

Miyako didn't seem willing to accept this explanation, but she didn't answer. Taichi spoke then: "Miyako, if you'd rather not come along, it's perfectly all right." 

Takeru agreed. "It's not going to be easy on any of us. If you'd rather not fight, there's no one forcing you to." 

"Are you certain?" she asked, looking for a moment as though she was on the verge of tears. Hikari sat beside her on the floor and put an arm around her. 

"Of course. Miyako, no one's going to make you do anything you don't want to do." She glanced a meaningful glance toward Daisuke, who had been about to say something. He took the hint and shut his mouth again. 

***

In the words of Charlie Brown: "Augh!!!" 

Deepest apologies to all for the very extended delay on this. I don't even _want_ to know the last time I updated this. ::covers eyes:: That's school for you. Never take into account the fact that some people might want to, I don't know, have free time? Of course not. 

Anyway, the all important chapter of discovery has been posted. Now that the secret's out, what will happen? I'm sure most of you have a vague idea, but you'll just have to wait to find out. 

A few notes about a few things involved in this chapter that some people might be asking about.

First off, I have no intentions of abandoning any of the relationship between Daisuke and Hikari. That will continue. I left out some of the more mushy scenes that could have gone into this chapter simply because they didn't seem to fit the rest of the chapter. I will devote a portion of time to them and only them as well as their relationship at some point in the future where it will fit. Can't say where yet. 

Secondly, feel free to read the scenes between Yamato and Sora as you wish. ::evil grin:: I can say no more. (Please, say no more.)

Last, but not least, don't expect that this will be the end of any underlying tension between Dai and Miyako. 

And now, I really can say no more. Till next time (which hopefully won't be as long a wait as this time), ta-ta! 


	13. The NeverEnding Power of Friendship

In the Dark

Part Thirteen: The Never-Ending Power of Friendship

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Yes, yes. Digimon belongs to me. Not. All characters are property of someone else. I'm only borrowing them because – because… well, because I want to write this story, that's why. They won't be returned. Sorry. The plot, for the most part, is mine, however, although this section obviously borrows heavily from the plot of the original anime. Please don't steal my original ideas, and don't sue either. I have no money. 

***

The snow ended sometime after noon, and it was then finally safe to exit the cabin. Miyako sat in the upper level of the two-day old lodge and peered through the only opening in the wall, watching as most of the rest of the group departed, trekking on foot into the woods. She'd thought long and hard about her decision to stay behind, and had discovered no reason to regret it. 

Hawkmon was peering with concern toward his partner, sensing what was going on within her mind but not knowing how to help her. "Miyako?" he questioned softly. 

Miyako sighed weakly and stood up, wrapping her arms about herself. "I'm all right, Hawkmon," she assured him, but the expression on her face said otherwise. 

***

"All I'm saying is that perhaps you could have been more sensitive," Takeru said as he walked. "I didn't say this wasn't difficult. I'm not saying it's not difficult for us. Some of us just take things harder than others." 

Daisuke peered at his feet as they shuffled through the soft snow and shrugged. "All right," he answered then, sighing. "I'll apologize later. Happy?" 

"I suppose that will have to do."

The small group trudged on through the forest. Daisuke and Takeru were in the lead, Iori following slightly behind, because they had ventured farthest into these woods. The entire party kept their eyes and ears wide open for the slightest sound that might indicate that an attack was imminent. 

"I wish Miyako _had_ agreed to come with us," Hikari said then, wrapping her arms around herself to keep warm. "Or Koushiro. I feel much too vulnerable without magic." 

"Agreed," Tailmon stated with a frown. "It's way too quiet here now that the snow has fallen. Magic would definitely help us to discover which way to go." 

"I don't think we'll need to worry about which way to go," Iori answered. "Most likely what we're looking for will find us. We just need to wait for it." 

"I hope we don't have to wait for too long," Takeru put in. "It's awfully cold out here." 

The forest they'd been trudging through slowly had been covered with a blanket of snow. Now, Iori's observant eyes sensed that the snow had melted in certain places. The sound of dripping water could be heard in the distance as the trees were beginning to shed their snowy blankets. A sudden crash startled them all as a pile of snow suddenly crashed down from the trees and landed in their path. 

"It appears it's getting a bit warmer," Daisuke observed dryly, having narrowly escaped the mini avalanche. 

"Doesn't feel much warmer," V-mon muttered grumpily, having not been as lucky as his partner. They had to stop for a moment then so that the blue digimon could dry off a bit. Prepared with a few dry cloths, Hikari opened the small pack she carried so he could prevent re-freezing. In the distance, another loud crash could be heard as another tree branch rebelled under the heavy load of snow. 

"Let's try to avoid that happening too much in the future," Taichi frowned. "It might slow us down a bit." 

"No argument here," V-mon answered, sneezing. Daisuke picked up his partner and opened his coat, making a space for him to ride in relative comfort. The others continued walking. 

Within a few steps of there, Takeru noted patches of grass poking up out of the snow. As they walked further and further, the patches grew bigger and bigger. "I'd guess we're getting closer to the desert now," he commented as the snow began to recede more and more. 

"Desert?" Hikari echoed in surprise, looking about. "Around here?" 

Iori nodded. "We walked all the way across it when we traveled with the Geckomon," he recalled. "That's why it took so long for us to return." 

"It was a _big_ desert," Armadimon put in. "And quite hot." 

"How is that possible?" Taichi wondered. "A desert so close to this snow? What's on the other side of it?" 

"More snow," Daisuke recalled. "A very cold area, covered with ice, snow, and not much else. We avoided that." 

"A forest, a desert, and some sort of arctic wasteland all in such a small area?" Hikari thought for a moment. "There must be some magic in this land." 

"When I told Miyako, she seemed to think that it might have something to do with the towers," he answered, thinking back to a previous conversation. "That they were causing the strange variations in climate. She was going to mention something to Koushiro about it, but I don't know if she ever did." 

"It's also possible," Iori put in, "that the magic in this land makes it easier to place such towers." 

"Well, whatever the reason for it, here's the desert," Patamon spoke up. Takeru had halted his steps. The snow in the forest had completely melted away, and before them lie a vast empty area of sand. The sun was stronger and warmer here, and everyone immediately hurried to remove their outer layers. When they turned back, they saw that only a few steps back into the forest there was still melting snow, and when they looked beyond that, there was even more that had not melted. 

***

As horrid as Miyako felt about the entire situation, she felt worse simply sitting about and doing nothing to help out. As soon as the others had left, she and Jun set about building a large fire outside the cabin and then filling the largest iron cooking pot they had with snow. While the snow began to melt into water and the water began to heat, they searched the cabin for clothes, blankets, and any other things that needed washing. Miyako didn't recall there having been clothes washed in the camp before, and she was accustomed to having things cleaned on a regular basis. Since there was no one else to do the work and she hadn't anything else to do, they'd both decided to make themselves useful and wash things. 

Koushiro and Jyou, who'd also remained behind, were working to improve the heating system in the cabin. A fireplace was out of the question, since they had no bricks and no way to make bricks, and so Koushiro had decided to dismantle the remaining stoves they'd used in the tents. He planned to make one large stove and then, instead of a chimney made of stone, to use the thin metal to vent the smoke out through a hole in the cabin wall. This proved to be easier to plan then to actually do, so he'd enlisted the doctor's reluctant assistance with the dismantling and rebuilding. He'd also enlisted the help of his magical skills, which, admittedly, were of more assistance than Jyou, who was most definitely not mechanically inclined.

While the two groups worked – Miyako and Jun, rather soundlessly aside from the splashing of hot water and the occasional shout from Hawkmon when he got wet, and Koushiro and Jyou rather loudly, thanks to the banging of metal and the recurrent shout from Jyou when he banged his finger with the rock he was using as a hammer – a small wagon pulled by two Monochromon made its way along the road towards the camp. As with the task of improving a heating system, this was also loud and difficult because, as anyone knows, Monochromon do not particularly like snow. This required quite a bit of shouting, tugging, and general frustration, compounded even more by the fact that the wagon was rather full and quite heavy. 

Jyou and Koushiro were working behind the cabin, out of view of the road, and wouldn't have noticed had a stampede of Monochromon run past on the opposite side followed by a group of screaming people and digimon because of the amount of concentration and noise involved in their task. Miyako and Jun worked on the side of the cabin, in full view of the road, but didn't notice the wagon arriving at first because they were trying to remove a very heavy, very wet, and very hot blanket from the pot and carry it to the wash line hung between two nearby trees to dry. 

Jun helped Miyako to unload the immense blanket on to the rope they'd tied between two sturdy trees. Miyako stepped back to observe the soaking blanket, which was so heavy it was causing the rope to sag and the bottom to drag in the snow. 

"Well, it'll be frozen, but it'll dry eventually," Jun noted. 

"If only Koushiro would finish with that heater, then we could just hang it inside. It'll be _twice_ as heavy frozen," Miyako grumbled. She sighed. "Oh well, I suppose it's the best we could hope for." 

"Miyako, you don't remember that wagon being there before, do you?" Hawkmon wondered then, pulling on the end of her skirt and pointing toward the road. The others turned to see. 

"No," she admitted with a frown. "I don't. I wonder where it comes from." 

"And who it carries," Alraumon added. 

"Both very good questions," Jun spoke up. "Only one way to find out." 

***

"It _is_ a desert," Tailmon noted in astonishment, peering across at the vast sands and shaking her head. 

"Yup," V-mon nodded, warmed now in the hot sun and enjoying it. He sat down on the ground and stretched. "It's so nice to feel the sun again." 

"You won't be saying that in a few hours," Patamon reminded him. "Then you'll wish we were back in the snow because you'll be too hot." 

"Maybe," the blue digimon conceded with a shrug. "But for now I like it." 

"As do I," Armadimon agreed, sighing contentedly. "I was not made for snow. This is much more my style." 

The others had removed most of their outer garments – jackets, scarves, hats, gloves, sweaters, and the like – and were now stuffing them into their bags. "We'll definitely need these on the way back," Takeru stated.

A few moments later they were on their way across the desert. "Now I see why you said we should bring a canteen of water, Takeru," Hikari noted, wiping the sweat from her forehead. 

"If we were walking the whole way through the snow, we wouldn't need it," he nodded. "But in the desert, it's always best to have some water on hand." He would have continued, but there was a beeping sound just then coming from his pocket. 

"Eh? What's this?" Daisuke wondered, the noise coming from his own digivice as well. 

"It looks like it might be a digimental," Iori noted, taking out his own. 

"I'm getting it, too," Hikari spoke up, also seeing the colored blinking dot.

"But for who?" Taichi wondered. "I thought they were all found. You all have one, don't you?" 

"This must be another one, then," Takeru observed. "Shall we follow it?" 

"We don't really have any other destination planned, do we?" Daisuke answered with a shrug. "With any luck, it'll be right next to Agumon and then we'll get everything done in one shot." He grinned and began to stride off, following the blinking dot on his digivice.

"That would be some luck," V-mon commented wryly.

***

Yamato had been trying to force the pair of Monochromon through the snow for nearly six hours now and was very tired, very cold, and very frustrated. He'd tried everything from soft coaxing to bribing with food to shouting and pulling and was very close to the point of simply finding the largest stick and beating them each soundly over the head. He was about to search for a large stick when he heard a shout from the wagon. 

Sora had been left to the task of attempting to drive and steer the wagon while Yamato pulled, coaxed, begged, and did whatever possible to convince the Monochromon to continue moving. It was she now who shouted to him. 

"What?" he demanded, utterly frustrated and exhausted. "I can't go another step," he muttered under his breath. With the absence of a stick, he resorted to hitting the side of the Monochromon with his palm. 

"We're here!" 

***

"I don't know where a digimental could be hiding in this place," Patamon stated. He'd flown up a bit higher than his partner's head in hopes that he could see something. "I don't see much of anything. Wait…" 

"How about enemies?" Daisuke wondered. "See any of those?" 

"Yeah," Patamon answered. "A whole bunch of Monochromon off in the distance. A few Gotsumon, too." He squinted in the bright light. "And a few bigger rock creatures. Golemon, I'd guess. There might be more, too, but I can't see. They're too far away to tell what they are." 

"What are they doing?" Hikari questioned. 

"Carrying things, it looks like," the flying digimon replied. "Rocks, stones. I'd say they're building something." 

"Any sign of Ken?" Takeru asked. 

Patamon landed on his partner's head. "None. No Airdramon, either. A few towers nearby, but we've seen a ton of those around so that's no surprise." 

"I wonder what they're building," Iori wondered, frowning. "Maybe nothing. Maybe they're just moving rocks and stones so they have something to do."

"Maybe it's some form of punishment," Armadimon theorized, matching his partner's expression.

"Well, whatever they're doing, that's the direction the digimental is in, right?" Taichi questioned. "So let's just get this over with."

***

Sora climbed down from the wagon seat, her hands nearly frozen from holding the reins of the Monochromon for so long. She rubbed her gloved hands together and wrapped her cloak snugly about her. Then she waved in Miyako's direction and called out. 

Miyako, coming closer, squinted. The light reflected off the snow. "Sora?" she mumbled vaguely, uncertain of the truth of her vision. "What are you doing here?" 

"Delivering the requested supplies," Yamato's voice came from the back of the wagon, where he was bringing down a few boxes. "I heard you were low on food, so we packed some fruits and vegetables." 

"Low on food is an understatement," Jun replied, rubbing her stomach as she remembered. "Breakfast was three-day old fish mashed into some sort of stew. Edible, but hardly delicious."

"Did you say you packed fruit?" Alraumon piped up, standing on tip-toes to peer into the wagon. 

"Yes I did," he answered, pulling open the wooden crate. "Mostly frozen by now, but still all right to eat." 

"Where are the others?" Sora wondered, looking around. "And where did this cabin come from? It wasn't here the last time I was here." 

"Yes, it was built pretty quickly when we realized there was a big snowstorm coming," Miyako recalled. "It's only been here a couple of days. As for the others? Well, most ventured off in to the forest to search for Agumon.  Jyou and Koushiro are doing something dangerous behind the cabin." 

"Something dangerous?" Gabumon echoed, confused. He began to climb down from the inside of the wagon, where he'd spent the trip in relative comfort. 

"Trying to build some sort of heating system for the cabin," Jun clarified. "In the past two hours we've heard Jyou cry out in pain about six times." She shook her head with a sigh. "I'm not sure how successful they are." 

***

"Uh, Patamon? What you said about not seeing too many enemies…," Takeru began. He and the others had hid in a lower part of the sand, making them invisible from a distance.

"Well, I didn't see too many before," Patamon defended himself as the shadow of three Airdramon flew overhead. Between them they carried a large, orange-colored, dinosaur-like creature. 

Takeru and Iori worked quickly, throwing themselves on Taichi's back before he could move to follow. "Get off me," he muttered, struggling to get up, but neither moved. 

"You'll only end up getting hurt," Iori defended their actions. "Don't you see there's a dark ring about his arm? Your partner is under the Kaiser's control now – he won't even recognize you."   
"If you go after him, you'll only get hurt, too," Takeru agreed. "So stay here." 

"We are going to have to do something though," Hikari frowned, peering over the edge of the sand. "I wonder why he's brought Greymon here?" 

All were silent for a few moments as they thought about this, and then suddenly, Daisuke spoke: "He knows we're here."

"What? How's that possible?" Takeru demanded. 

"His magic's powerful enough, I'm sure of it. He wants us to come after Agumon. That's why he's brought us here. There's no way we make a move in his territory he doesn't know about. We couldn't have come this far without being seen."   
"Then Agumon was brought here just to fight us?" Hikari asked, horrified. 

"That would be my guess, too," Iori agreed. "What better way to defeat your enemies than to strike the death blow with one of their own?" 

That statement had the effect of enraging Taichi even more, and Daisuke was forced to aid in the restraint. Before anyone else could move or speak, there was a flash of light nearby and then a cacophony of sound arose from the previously quieted digivices. 

"What?" Takeru questioned, shading his eyes. 

"The digimental!" Iori recalled. "It must be here!" 

"That wasn't hard to find," Armadimon noted. The light soon ebbed, and a strange, blue, egg shaped device could be seen poking up over the sand. 

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say that's the digimental of friendship," Tailmon observed, noticing the markings on the side of it. 

"But who does it belong to?" Patamon wondered. 

"Let's hope it's belongs to Hikari," Daisuke stated. "The rest of us have our hands a bit full right now!" Another shadow flew over them at just that moment. 

***

"I'd love to say I'm glad to see you," Jyou stated as he lifted a heavy wooden crate from the back of the wagon. "But I must confess I'm much more pleased to see these supplies. We're so desperately low it was getting to be a real problem." 

"Yeah," Gomamon commented, watching his partner do the heavy work. "We'd much rather see food than you guys." Gabumon and Piyomon glared in response, but were ignored by the impish digimon. 

"Especially since most of the provisions were destroyed in the ambush," Koushiro agreed, taking the other end of the crate. "Food and medical supplies were much in demand." 

"Well you needn't worry for a while, then," Piyomon spoke up. "We packed enough food to supply an entire village for a year." 

"Providing there are no more ambushes, this should be enough to last us a while," Hawkmon observed, looking over the crates and noting the food, bandages, and other supplies. Among the items included two more small stoves, which Koushiro immediately began to inspect. 

Yamato had been looking over the wizard's project with some curiosity. "I'm not exactly certain this will work," he confessed. "I like the idea of using the metal as chimneys to vent out the smoke, but I don't know about building one large stove." 

Gabumon agreed with his partner. "Maybe it would be better if you left the stoves as is and simply used all of them?" he suggested. 

Tentomon liked the plan. "One in each corner, perhaps? To better heat the cabin?" 

Koushiro was interested. "I'd never thought of that," he admitted, scratching his chin in thought. "Might be a good idea." 

Jyou was very thorough about the organization of medical supplies, and he was making careful records of exactly what had been delivered and how much of each. He was eager to get to work at that and gladly left Yamato and Koushiro to the setup of the stoves. 

***

After several moments of strained pulling, Hikari stepped back, wiping her hands and shrugging. "Sorry. I can't budge it, so I'd guess it doesn't belong to me." She grinned apologetically. 

"Well, use the one you do have," Tailmon advised, peering over the edge of the sand. "Because I think they might have discovered us!" 

Hikari turned to where her partner was pointing and saw a long line of digimon hurrying towards them. As Patamon had described, the main participants were Gotsumon, and the now-controlled Greymon was in the middle of them. Several Airdramon now hovered along the side of the crowd, and a few angry Tyrannomon were along for extra firepower. 

Taichi gasped in astonishment. "Does he think we're an army?" he wondered. "I'd say that was a bit of excess!"

"It's better to be safe then sorry, I suppose," Iori answered, gripping his digivice in his hand. "Armadimon! Digimental Up!" 

"Safe is what I'd opt for, too," his partner replied, nodding. "Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" 

"Considering what damage we've managed to do in the past, he's not going to take any chances," Takeru agreed with Iori's assessment. "Digimental Up!" 

"Patamon armor evolve! Pegasmon!" The small orange digimon was soon replaced with a powerful flying digimon, and took to the air.

Hikari watched him soar higher, and then raised her own digivice. "Digimental Up!" 

"Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!"

"Don't leave me for last!" V-mon called. "C'mon, Daisuke!" 

"Right. Digimental Up!" 

"V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!" 

***

"When did you say they left?" Sora questioned asked, frowning concernedly for about the fifth time since she'd arrived. She was helping Jun and Miyako to make "rooms" within the cabin by draping heavy material across the rafters, sectioning off the large downstairs. 

"First thing this morning," Miyako replied, taking a metal spike in one hand and a rock in her other hand and driving the spike through the curtain and into the rafter. She was in the upper sections of the cabin and in charge of securing the curtains so they wouldn't fall. "I'm sure everything's fine. It's only been a few hours. Chances are they haven't gotten very far." 

"They won't recognize the cabin when they return, that's for sure," Jun observed cheerfully, stepping from one of the smaller curtained-off rooms. 

"I hope you're right," Sora sighed, tossing the next bolt of cloth toward the ceiling. 

"Of course I'm right," Jun replied, not having heard the previous conversation. "There weren't any rooms before. If we finish the curtain hanging today, we can hang some more along the walls to help keep out the draft." 

"Yes!" Miyako agreed enthusiastically, nearly dropping the cloth she'd just received. "Like tapestries! That might keep in the warmth even more than Koushiro's stoves help heat it." 

"It was rather cold in here last night," Hawkmon agreed, a nervous expression on his face as he watched his partner crawl along the upper rafters to secure the next part of the curtain. "Miyako, please be careful," he pleaded. 

She waved a dismissive hand, shrugging off his concern. "I am, I am." 

Sora was still thinking deeply. "I don't know, Miyako. I'm wondering about how wise that plan was. What if they're walking directly into a trap?" 

There was a pause in activity for a moment. Miyako frowned in thought, reaching into the pocket of her apron for the next metal spike and placing it in the correct spot. For a few seconds, the only sound was the clank of stone on metal. 

"It would be nice if there was some way to communicate with them," Jun sighed, leaning against the wall and looking up toward the ceiling. With each clank of Miyako's hammer-stone a few pieces of snow and sawdust fell from the upper rafters and floated down to the floor, resting on the ground. There had been no time to build a floor in the hasty construction of the cabin, and their only insulation from the cold dirt had been blankets and cloths scattered about the ground. 

"There is, sort of," Sora answered, reaching for the small blue box she carried with her at all times. She looked at the silent device for a moment before returning it to her pocket. "But the digivices only have a limited range, and we can't detect from that far away." 

"Besides, all that does it tell you where they are," Piyomon added. "It wouldn't alert us if they were in some sort of danger." 

Miyako struck the final blow with her stone and sat back on the rafter. "The air…" she mumbled softly. Both girls on the ground turned to look at her.

When she didn't respond after a moment, Sora echoed curiously: "The air?" 

The younger girl nodded. "After the ambush, we were separated," she began. "Takeru, Taichi, and Daisuke were out somewhere, still fighting, but the rest of us were here at camp, trying to pick up the pieces and figure out what to do. We didn't have any idea what had happened to them."   
Jun nodded in agreement. "That wasn't easy. There were these huge rocks dropped on us from the sky. The Airdramon carried them." 

Miyako continued: "One of them fell on to a tent, and everyone, even the Gotsumon, were trying to move it, but it wasn't doing much. Koushiro said something about wishing he had enough energy to do more magic. He'd used too much energy earlier producing shields." 

Alraumon shuddered. "Don't remind me. Those shields were all that kept us from the Airdramon attacks." 

"So I offered to use the magic, and I managed to lift the rock. But – there was a side effect I didn't expect." Miyako paused in her story to slowly make her way down from the rafters by way of a rope that had been securely tied on one of the beams. Hawkmon watched nervously, not taking his eyes from his partner until she was safely on the ground once more. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. 

"What sort of side effect?" Sora wondered, confused. 

***

"I'll handle the Tyrannomon," Digmon shouted. "You can worry about the big guy, Fladramon!" He pressed his drills to the ground. "Big Crack!" Immediately a miniature earthquake split the ground under the massive red dinosaurs, causing them to loose balance. 

"I see it!" Pegasmon called, referring to the dark ring about the arm of the Tyrannomon. "Shooting Star!" The ring snapped, setting the dinosaur free. It roared in triumphant pain. 

"That was _much_ to easy," Digmon commented. 

Takeru was trying for the digimental of friendship. "Maybe it runs in families," he theorized with a shrug, but found that despite a great deal of tugging on his part, the egg-shaped object remained firmly in the ground. "Guess not." 

Iori was trying to coach his partner on the finer art of dodging fireballs. As Digmon was a slow-moving creature, this wasn't easy for him. "Look out!" he called suddenly. 

Nefertimon decided to assist. "Rosetta Stone!" she called, and the well-aimed attack ensured that Digmon would get no more harassment from that particular Tyrannomon. 

"Thanks!" Digmon called in appreciation, and turned his attention to the numerous Gotsumon. 

"Is there a factory or something producing these things?" Fladramon shouted in frustration at the large amount of rocky creatures. 

"It's not mine," Takeru reported to Iori concerning the digimental. "You want to try?" 

"If it'll help us in this battle, I'll try anything," Iori answered simply, striding toward the object. He walked past Daisuke, who was being uncharacteristically silent during the battle. 

***

Koushiro frowned. "I'm not sure it's wise, Miyako," he admitted. "The spells with air take a lot of energy, you know." 

"Yes, I know," she replied. "But I can handle it. I've used one before. And you know that none of us will have any piece of mind until we know for certain what's happening." 

The elder wizard continued scowling for a moment, hesitating slightly. "I don't know…" 

"Koushiro, please," Sora interrupted. "If you won't let Miyako perform the spell, then do it yourself. I have to know if they're all right."

"Sora has a feeling they might perhaps have walked into a trap," Jun explained. 

"A trap?" Yamato was concerned. "Is that possible?" 

"Anything's possible," Koushiro replied simply. He sighed. "I suppose you're right then. Let me find the book." 

***

Iori gripped the edge of the egg-shaped device and planted his feet squarely on the ground. He tried to think positive, friendly thoughts, and then tugged with all his might, grunting slightly. 

The digimental Yuujou refused to move. 

With some amount of disappointment, Iori stepped away from the digimental and turned to Daisuke. "It's yours then, I suppose," he reported, sighing. 

The older boy didn't respond. His eyes were on the battle. The three Tyrannomon had been neutralized and the Gotsumon were slowly being freed. There was no progress, however, made on Greymon. 

"Daisuke?" Hikari interrupted his thoughts to tap him on the shoulder. "Did you hear Iori?" 

He didn't give any indication that he had heard her, instead turning his head slightly toward the three Airdramon that were continuously hovering overhead.  Atop one of them was a dark figure, a cape flowing behind him in the wind, surveying the scene with a triumphant expression. Seeming to sense his eyes upon him, the figure turned toward Daisuke. Their eyes would have met for a moment, if not for the distance and the glint of the tinted spectacles the Kaiser wore. 

"Daisuke?" Iori spoke again, following his glance as the boy turned away from the Airdramon toward the massive dinosaur once more. 

Daisuke shook his head. "I don't deserve that digimental," he answered.

***

"Ah, yes. I do believe this is the spell you're thinking of. You're lucky I have it with me. It's not one I often find a use for," Koushiro reported, passing the large volume to Miyako.  The others had gone outside to wait for him to search through his belongings, and he now returned from within the depths of the cabin with a single, yet thick, book. 

"You don't often find a use for most spells," Tentomon commented from his hovering spot behind his partner's head. "You're too busy studying." 

Koushiro turned to glare slightly at his partner, who pretended not to notice. "Yes, well. It's not one that any wizard would find a use for," he continued, clearing his throat. "It's not a difficult spell, really, but it's hard to get precisely right." 

"Precisely right?" Miyako echoed. 

"Yes. Wind in general flows the way it wants. From here to where you wish to communicate is not the natural flow of air. Magic has to redirect it. And so you must redirect it in the _correct_ direction." 

"I see," she nodded. "But how do I do that if I don't know where it is I'm trying to communicate with?" 

Koushiro pointed to his head. "Your thought process," he responded. "If you focus your thoughts to the ones you are trying to communicate with, it will direct the magic as much as it needs to." He had a very serious expression on his face as he spoke: "Good luck." 

Somehow, Miyako got a foreboding sense of doom from the way he stated those last two words. 

"Do you think she'll have trouble with it?" Sora wondered, as the small group stepped back slightly and Miyako set the book on the ground before her. 

"Oh… perhaps," the wizard replied mysteriously, and would say no more. 

***

"You're the only one left," Hikari argued rationally. "It has to belong to you." 

Daisuke shook his head. "I've already gotten enough friends hurt," he returned, turning his gaze back towards Greymon, who was at that moment tossing a large fireball in the direction of Pegasmon, who managed to narrowly avoid it. "I don't need to hurt anyone else." 

Takeru, having overheard the argument, put in his own thoughts: "Sometimes hurting people is the only way to help them," he pointed out. "If Agumon gets hurt but we manage to free him then it's all the better." 

Stubbornly, the boy shook his head. "I'm not going to hurt him," he defended, looking toward the ground. 

"If you don't, then the rest of us will probably get hurt!" Iori half-shouted in frustration. 

The other shrugged his shoulders, peering steadily toward the sand now. "At least I didn't cause that," he answered. 

Suddenly, some distance away, the controlled Greymon fired his largest yet attack of the day. "Mega Flame!" The gigantic fireball headed directly for Fladramon, who managed to narrowly avoid it, but de-evolved to V-mon in the process, the tips of his ears singed slightly by the fire. 

Not surprisingly, this triggered another enraged reaction in Taichi, but astonishingly he didn't attempt to run for his partner. This time, he rushed directly for Daisuke and grabbed him by the shoulders, ignoring the stunned responses of the others. 

"Are you insane?" he shouted, shaking the younger boy. "If you don't evolve, then we'll all probably be killed. We can't stop him without you. Without the digimental. So just pick up the damn thing!" 

V-mon appeared nearby, having dashed quickly across the desert to find his partner. "Please, Daisuke," he pleaded. "Let me fight." 

***

Miyako read over the instructions to the spell several times to become familiar with it. Then she began the hand movements required to call the air to her. They were very much similar to those at the beginning of the spell she'd used to levitate the rock off the ground, and the feeling of familiarity was comforting to her. She could feel the wind blowing through her hair and her skirts. With the cold of the snow still on the ground, the chill ran down her spine, but she refused to be distracted. 

***

Before Daisuke could respond to the pleas of the others, a light began to glow brightly from the digimental again. Immediately, all present who were not fighting in the battle turned to the source. The blue egg-shaped digimental rose into the air slowly and made its way toward the boy who was its reluctant recipient. 

"See?" Takeru stated. "It is yours. It's come right to you. You know the digimentals don't react to those who aren't worthy." 

"The rest of us couldn't even lift it," Hikari agreed. "But it's come right to you." 

"You can't deny it now," Iori added. "It belongs to you." 

V-mon spoke then. "Come on Daisuke. Let's save those that we can save."  His partner looked toward him and finally appeared to understand. He reached out his hand and gripped the digimental. Immediately, the glowing light subsided, and the boy then wasted no more time. 

"Digimental up!" 

***

There now. That wasn't too bad was it? A shorter wait than last time, like promised. I do apologize for not getting this out sooner, anyway, but school has a tendency to do things like that to me. ::sigh:: 

A good amount of action in this chapter, I'd say. Will Miyako discover the location of the others? Will they be able to free Greymon? Will Taichi go _completely_ off the deep end? (As opposed to just having one foot of the dock as he does now…) And, while all this is going on, _who_ is running the country?  More importantly, will this story ever come to a close?!

::shrug:: Who knows?!

In the next section, soon to be arriving at a computer near you, expect _more_ action! Wahoo. Now that Daisuke has found the digimental of friendship, those of purity and faith must of course be on the way. While I try to keep at least parts of this series modeled after the original show, it has been some time since I last saw it, so expect much more deviation. Also, because of the modern facilities involved with Miyako and Iori's second digimentals (a diner, an oil drill), I'm going to have some definite originality (gasp!) involved with those two. Keep reading, you might be surprised! 

Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing (you're all so nice!), and thanks for keeping with it this far. 'Til next time! ::waves::


	14. Battle in the Sands

In The Dark

Part Fourteen: Battle in the Sands

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: For the one millionth time, Digimon, all related characters, plotlines, and merchandise are NOT MINE. This plot, however, is. Again, serious borrowing from the original series, but the plot is, believe it or not, MINE. To recap: Characters – not mine, Plot – is mine. Any questions? Tough. Just read. And enjoy, I hope.  ^_^

***

There had been little or no wind in the snow-covered woods surrounding the Primary Village. It was cold, despite the constant rays of the sun, but there was no wind. Most of the humans and digimon in the area were grateful to this because they knew that the wind would only lower the temperature and make their lives all the more unbearable. 

Now, suddenly, a few stray gusts of wind blew through the trees. Not strong gusts, at first. Only light little wisps of wind. Sora and Jun noticed it floating near their ankles and pushing its way up through their skirts, sending chills down their spines. Then it grew stronger, blowing locks of hair into their faces and whipping their skirts around in the breeze. Even Koushiro and Jyou felt the breeze chill their skin. 

Miyako, however, was oblivious. 

***

For a few moments, the hot, arid, desert sun paled in comparison to another bright light. Everyone who witnessed it on both sides of the battle was forced to squint or turn away if they did not shield their eyes.  From somewhere within that light, a voice could be heard, shouting. 

"V-mon armor evolve! Lighdramon!" 

The light quickly faded, and in its place stood a four-legged blue and black armored digimon with what appeared to be lightning bolts protruding from the head. Before anyone could voice a reaction to this, however, a powerful gust of wind chose that moment to create a violent sandstorm. 

The humans had no choice but to throw themselves to the ground in hopes of avoiding the sand that blew about. With no shelter or protection from the blinding grainy substance, they covered their faces and tried to avoid breathing in too much of it. 

"Where did this storm come from?" Takeru shouted over the deafening noise. He had shut his eyes tightly and was crouched on his knees, the only possible defense. All the others had adopted a similar posture.  

"Sandstorms often come up with little warning," Iori shouted in response, recalling something he had read. "But there's usually at least some sort of cloud cover." 

"There wasn't _any_ warning for that!" Daisuke protested. "There was barely any wind before!" 

***

On the opposite side of the battlefield, all of the Airdramon were thrown violently into the ground. The Tyrannomon that had been freed had therefore disappeared, but the other enslaved digimon had to cope with the blowing sand. Golemon and Monochromon were well prepared for the vicious sands, but the smaller Gotsumon didn't have much defense against the powerful winds and were blown violently about, crashing into each other and into the larger Golemon and Monochromon, who were unaffected by the gusts.

All in all, there was only one creature unaffected by the winds. He was surrounded by a dark aura of defense so powerful that even the worst sandstorm could not harm him. Angered by the uselessness of his troops, the Kaiser first shouted to them, angrily: 

"You fools! Are you afraid of sand? They'll be disabled in this storm! Destroy them!" 

But even he knew that it was pointless to try to continue a battle in the midst of a sandstorm when no one, not even himself, could see anything beyond the blinding, swirling sand. He cursed under his breath, and then louder so that his words could be heard even over the roar of the wind. Even his voice didn't travel far, however. It was swallowed in the maelstrom, and only the digimon that were nearest to him heard his cry of anger. 

The element of surprise was lost. His prized slave, the mighty Greymon, had been forced to de-evolve, weakened by the raging sand. There was only one thing to do. 

***

Sora, Jun, Koushiro, Yamato, and Jyou gripped tightly to the nearest trees they could find. The violent wind blew snow into the air, causing a moist fog that filled the forest. Sora held tightly to Piyomon in her arms, and Jun held Hawkmon in her own. Being bird digimon, they were more likely to get blown away, and who knew how far this wind might carry them. Alraumon, being blessed with the same gripping fingers as Palmon, who had helped to save Hikari from the blasts of Tonosama Geckomon, gripped tightly to a tree and needed no help from her partner, who was having enough trouble staying land-bound as it was. Koushiro had to adopt a similar tactic as the girls regarding his own flying partner, but Jyou and Yamato had little risk of their own partners sailing away. Nevertheless, all found shelter behind the nearest trees. 

Only one person here was unaffected by the wind, and that was the one who was causing it. Through the fog of flying snow, the center of the storm stood. Miyako had little awareness of the winds around her. All she was aware of was the magic flowing through her: the magic carried by that wind. 

"Was this supposed to happen?" Sora managed to shout over the roar of the wind to Koushiro, a short distance from her.  The wizard nodded calmly while still holding tightly to his partner. 

"Everything's proceeding precisely as planned," he called back. "I didn't expect that the wind would be this powerful." He grinned sheepishly. "You'd think by now I would have learned not to underestimate Miyako's abilities, but I do nonetheless." 

"What did he say?" Jun shouted from Sora's other side, not having heard the wizard's response over the roar of the wind. 

Sora shook her head slightly. "He says this is normal. I think." 

"Does he know how much longer this will take?" Piyomon wondered. Her partner glanced back through the cloud of moisture toward where Miyako was standing. 

"I hope not _much_ longer," Hawkmon commented worriedly, peering through Jun's arms. 

***

"How long will this last?" Hikari shouted. She'd no idea if anyone would hear her response, as even when she dared to open her eyes, she could see nothing but a whirling sand-colored mass. 

"Sometimes sandstorms can go on for days," Iori called. 

"This one had best not last much longer!" Takeru noted. "We can't survive for days!" 

"If only there was some sort of shelter!" Taichi complained. But there was none.

Then, as suddenly as it had come up, the wind stopped. Sand that had been in the air gently floated down to the ground. The roar of the wind that had filled their ears endlessly now ended, leaving a deadened silence hovering in the air. Slowly, those still within the desert stood and surveyed their surroundings. 

"Well, that was short," Daisuke observed, scratching his sand-filled hair and looking about. "Hey – what happened? Where'd they go?" 

"Where'd who go?" Takeru wondered, rising to his feet. His question was immediately answered. The desert was once again devoid of all signs of life. 

"Is it possible that Ken was responsible for the sandstorm?" Hikari wondered from behind him. "Used it to cover his exit?" 

Iori shook his head. "Why would he do that?" he questioned. "He was winning…" 

"It wouldn't be the first time he took off when he had the upper hand," Hikari answered, recalling the battle she and Miyako had fought directly after the ambush. 

"If he couldn't fight in the battle either, it would make sense for him to leave," Takeru noted. "But where - ?" 

"Over here!" came Patamon's voice from the middle of the sand. All their digimon, apparently damaged by the sand, had been forced to de-evolve. Scanning the nearby ground, they could immediately see the others lying about, all in various states of re-awakening. All except Agumon. 

***

Wormmon watched nervously as the feet of the boy who'd once been his partner stormed down the polished halls. "Not a good day, master?" he questioned. 

"Damned sandstorm," the Kaiser muttered, storming into his most used room by means of violently shoving the doors aside. 

The small caterpillar digimon sighed, half out of sympathy, half from relief. "Oh," he answered dumbly, following him through the massive doors. "That's terribly unlucky," he added, trying to sound remotely comforting. 

"Luck, nothing," was the snapped reply. "That was no ordinary sandstorm. _That _storm was conjured by _magic_."

"Magic?" Wormmon tried not to sound disbelieving or skeptical. "But you said yourself there was no magic amongst the chosen…." 

"Not amongst, you fool!" Shouting now. Wormmon cringed slightly. "There's someone with magic on their side!" He paused and sat down in a chair near the window, peering out at the woodland scenery. In a calmer, more pensive voice, he said: "They must have commissioned one of the wizards to work with them. Damnit!" 

There was a moment of silence after that. Wormmon waited nervously for some further sort of outburst, unwilling to bring it upon himself, but feeling much more anxious regarding the sudden bout of silence. 

"Don't just stand there!" his master shouted suddenly, breaking the silence. Wormmon felt relief and panic at the same time, a curious mixture of emotions he'd quickly become accustomed to in the last few months. "Leave me alone. Find something _useful_ to do with yourself." 

The small green digimon said nothing that might possibly further antagonize him, and instead left the room, his feet clicking softly on the polished floor as he made his way down the hallway in the direction of the dungeons. 

As soon as his partner had left, he who had once been Ken Ichijouji stood and began to peruse his bookshelf in a rather violent fashion, grabbing volume after volume from the shelf and tossing them over his shoulder. Some form of magic grabbed the books in mid air and held them so they wouldn't be damaged. These books, full of the most powerful spells of dark magic, were priceless, and even in his anger he would not permit them to be harmed in any way. 

"If they think a sandstorm will protect them, then they're wrong," he muttered under his breath, tossing books aside with a vigorous speed. "Whatever magic they have, I will top!" He shook his head in mocking disgust. "Sandstorm. _Hah!_ You shall not remain safe as long as you are within my territory. I'll see your sandstorm, and give you something much more powerful." 

Yes, he thought. That was it. Suddenly, his bad mood died away just as the winds had. He laughed triumphantly, pleased with himself. Pleased with his plan. As he laughed, he searched through his books with greater speed. 

A slight draft of air blew through the heavily sealed window. It ruffled the pages of the books and then dissipated.

***

As suddenly as it had begun, the wind was gone. Sora let go of Piyomon, setting her partner on the ground, and instead hurried quickly for Miyako, who was still standing where she had been standing during the windstorm, now looking a bit tired and confused. 

Hawkmon beat her to it. "Miyako?" he asked. "Are you all right?" 

Miyako didn't speak. She shut her eyes for a moment, appearing as though she was in thought, and then opening them again to focus directly on her partner. "I think so," she answered then. 

The others had crowded around. "What did you see?" Yamato questioned. 

Sora noticed the younger girl was weak. She looked exhausted. "Maybe we should go inside first," she suggested, intervening. "You could have some tea?" 

"No," Miyako shook her head. "No. We have to go. Now." 

***

"So now what?" Takeru wondered, peering out over the desolate, yet calm, sands with his partner in his arms. 

"I don't know," Hikari admitted. "That sandstorm just came out of nowhere. Threw our plans off. His too, I'd guess." She was seated in the sand, brushing some it from her hair and skin with her hands. 

"Is it at all possible that it was simply a storm and nothing more?" Tailmon wondered, busied with brushing the sand from her fur as well. 

"I doubt that," Taichi sighed. "But I'm not so sure then where it did come from." 

Iori agreed. "Ken couldn't have conjured it. It doesn't make any sense for him to do such a thing. But yet, he's the only one who _could_ have, right?" 

Armadimon peered up at his partner. "Says who?" he argued. "Someone else might have caused it." 

"But who?" Iori returned. "And _why_?" Armadimon didn't have a response to that. Nor did any of the others. 

"Well, we can't stay here all day," Daisuke said then, standing up. "If we're going to do something, we'd better do it soon." 

***

The breeze was cold, and Miyako pulled the hood of her cloak tightly over her ears. "Any sign of them, Holsmon?" she called to her partner. 

"Not even a single footprint," the large bird digimon responded. "Anything on the digivice?" 

She peered at the small box in her hand and shook her head. "Nothing," she answered. "Where could they have gone?" 

"Look!" Yamato called from behind her. He pointed his arm out across the trees. "The edge of the forest."

"I'll be they went that way," Miyako nodded. "I remember Daisuke saying something about a desert on the other side of the woods." 

"A desert?" Gabumon echoed. 

***

Wormmon rarely ventured down to the dungeon where all the enslaved digimon were kept. Although he would have liked to comfort those in pain, he was too afraid of the dimly lit corridors, the damp walls, and the glowing red eyes of the controlled digimon peering out at him from the darkened cells. He scuttled through the halls, each one of his feet clicking and tapping along the stones of the floor as he went. The magic that had forged this dungeon meant that the floors and walls had been smoothed down and polished so that a dim reflection of the candles posted along the hallway was visible in the floor. 

Darkness was not a fan of organization, but in order to get anything done, classification systems needed to be adopted. Records needed to be kept. Ken had realized this when he'd first begun this particular operation, and as the stores of enslaved digimon had become greater, the system to keep them all in order had become more complex. The hallways of the dungeon were organized in such a way so that the digimon required for a particular job could be brought out instantly without much searching. Wormmon, as an observer and sometime participator in this organization system, knew precisely how this worked, even if he'd never had a use for it. Now, however, he was glad that he'd bothered to make sense of it all, because it cut down greatly on the time required for what he was about to do. 

At the end of one of the nearly endless hallways, Wormmon found a door. Like most other doors in this building, it had been polished smooth and indestructible by the forces of magic. The small green digimon hesitated outside the door, contemplating what he was about to do. He'd never done anything disloyal before. 

The door opened easily and he slipped into the darkened cell beyond. It was a monstrous sized room, large enough to hold the largest of digimon, yet at the moment holding only one: a small yellow dinosaur-like creature who was dwarfed by the immense size of the cell holding it. 

***

"Well, it doesn't look as though we have much choice but to go back home." Takeru was frowning as he spoke, an expression that was slowly making itself more and more at home on his ordinarily cheerful face. He held his digivice in front of him, hoping to get some sort of a signal of something – he knew not what – but it was blank. The desert stretched endlessly before them, white sands extending in every direction. The situation did seem hopeless. 

The group had been walking for some time now, deeper into the desert, further away from the forest. No one wished to admit that they might possibly be lost, but there was little certainty of what would now happen. The battle had been interrupted, all their enemies gone, and there was little left to do. 

Taichi sank into the sand, holding his head in his hands. "This is all my fault," he sighed, thinking about his missing partner. "I never should have come." 

There was silence following these statements. No one, not even Hikari, knew what to say to that. 

Suddenly, a shadow passed over them. Several digivices sprang to life instantly, wailing their usual noises indicating there was another Chosen in the vicinity. As one, the group of desert wanderers peered up at the sky, expecting, almost hoping, to see another group of Airdramon. But it was not an enemy this time that was responsible for the shadow overhead. 

Holsmon landed in the sand and his three passengers dismounted. "Thank goodness we've found you," Miyako stated with relief, wiping the sweat from her brow. She unfastened her cloak and folded it neatly, returning it to the bag she carried with her. 

"Miyako? What's happened?" Hikari questioned. 

"Is everyone all right?" Yamato asked, climbing carefully down from the large bird and looking about him for signs of serious injury. 

"We're all fine, despite a run-in with a rather vicious sandstorm," Iori reported dutifully. "I suppose you have some sort of news?" 

"Sandstorm?" Yamato echoed in disbelief. "Those winds were felt all the way out here?" 

Miyako nodded dismissively. "Of course. That was the point of the spell."

"_You_ caused that storm?" Takeru gasped in surprise. The others looked equally astonished.  "But – why?" 

"There's no time to explain that now," she responded. "That storm might have saved you for the moment, but Ken's not going to let this opportunity go to waste. He's making plans right now for a greater attack." 

Iori nodded. "We expected that he wouldn't sit around for long," he agreed. 

"No, no," she disagreed, shaking her head. "Not simply another attack. A more powerful attack. Listen to me. Didn't it concern you that it was not Agumon who attacked you, but Greymon?" 

"He managed to evolve him somehow," Daisuke nodded, speaking for the first time. "So?" 

"Well, he's not willing to stop with Greymon," Yamato filled in, seeing that Miyako was getting impatient with the story. "He's trying to push him to a higher level." 

"But digimon cannot be _pushed_ to a higher level," Gabumon continued, "or disaster might result." 

The audience was finally suitably stunned. "That might be something of a problem," Patamon noted. 

***

The small orange-yellow dinosaur digimon knew nothing of what had happened. He recalled very little from the past few days. He felt suddenly as though he was waking up from a long sleep in which some horrific nightmare had occurred that he could remember nothing about. He forced open his tired eyes and peered around, searching for something he could recognize. He saw only sand. 

Agumon slowly made his way to his feet, rubbing his eyes, which felt itchy and almost painful in the arid environment of the desert. The tired digimon searched his memory, both recent and far past, for recollections of a desert. He recalled flashes of dream-like images of sand, but nothing certain. For a moment, he concentrated simply upon recalling _something_, and then remembered his partner. But he remembered nothing about a desert, or how he had come to be there. 

Like most digimon (and people as well), Agumon had a few exceptional qualities. First and foremost of course was his loyalty to his partner, which nearly all digimon have. He also possessed a nearly unquenchable sense of humor and good-natured demeanor, but, like his human partner, was able to be serious about things which were deserving of true seriousness. He recognized at this moment that this situation was most definitely serious. 

But the most exceptional quality which this particular digimon could boast of was that of his sense of smell. He could smell food cooking in the basement kitchen from the upper levels of the castle. And he could identify what it was. He could identify people and other digimon by their scents. And, most importantly, he relied on this sense much more than he relied upon his eyes, which were relatively weak in comparison to some other digimon. 

Thus, without even really trying, he noted a distinctive and unmistakable scent on the wind flowing gently across the arid desert, shifting the sands under the hot sun. His mood greatly improved, Agumon set off running as quickly as possible in the extreme conditions toward that scent. 

***

High noon in the desert, like most places, is the warmest part of the day. This is true even in the winter, although we are less apt to notice it because the warmest part of the day then is much colder than the coolest part of the day in midsummer. In the desert, as anyone residing in a part of the world which experiences summer can testify to, it is best not to engage in the most strenuous of activities at noontime. 

There is no shelter from the sun in the desert, nor the heat. There are few landmarks to tell anyone their precise location. There are no trees, no distinguishing characteristics of the land. The sands are ever shifting, rolling like waves upon the ocean. The dunes grow and shrink, the sands blow across the surface, and the heat makes one begin to loose one's mind. 

Exhaustion, both mentally and physically, had begun to take its toll upon the group of desert wanderers. With Miyako and Yamato's arrival bringing them little hope, none really felt much like continuing through the heat and sand. It was Takeru, ever searching for hope and cheer in a dim situation, who suggested that perhaps they rest and eat, since none of them had partaken of food since quite early that morning. 

There was little enthusiasm for Takeru's idea, but most everyone agreed nonetheless, being that they _were_ tired, hungry, and thirsty. They sat in the sand (there being no where else _to_ sit) and ate the rations of food and a bit of the water that each had brought for themselves. There was little conversation. 

Daisuke ate some of the fish-meat and several-day-old bread that he'd packed and tried to sip as little of the water as he could, though food like this made one want to drink water to help force it down. He watched Miyako out of the corner of his eye as she spoke with Iori and Takeru, answering their questions about the magic sandstorm she'd conjured. Daisuke listened with half an ear, not wishing to show his interest. In truth, he felt bad about the argument with Miyako earlier. He hadn't been able to imagine the difficulty of fighting one's friends, not simply for fun as he had so many times earlier, but with total gravity. He stared at the sand as he tried to force the food down his throat and wondered how on earth doing such a thing could be considered worthy of the digimental of friendship. 

Hikari was trying to help her brother to feel better, though with little success. He felt as though Agumon's capture were his own fault and was busy feeling sorry for himself. He ate little and seemed impatient with even her attempts to cheer him. 

"I don't need any help, Hikari," he sighed, sitting in the sand and munching dully on the bread. "I would guess I'm just not worthy of having a partner. It was stupid of me to bring him here, and stupid of me to come at all." 

"That's not true and you know it," his sister countered. "Taichi, you couldn't have known this would happen. You mustn't blame yourself." 

"Why not?" he wondered, standing up and tossing the inedible piece of bread into the sand. A light breeze lightly shifted the thin sands and buried it easily. "It _is_ my fault." He kicked the sand with his foot, scattering the tiny particles into the breeze to float purposely away. 

There was a suddenly sharp cracking sound that filled the air and all conversation halted. Every head in the area turned sharply in the direction from whence it came. 

Yamato rubbed the knuckles of his fist lightly with the other hand as though he had struck a much harder object than someone's cheek. 

Taichi rubbed the side of his face in surprise. A red mark matching the shape of Yamato's knuckles was embedded in his face. 

"Hey!" Takeru shouted, half in stunned surprise, half admonishing his older sibling, an odd sort of role-reversal. "What are you doing?" He dashed forward, ready if necessary to jump in and pull the two apart.

Daisuke stared in astonishment, wondering if he would soon be called upon to stop some sort of fight. There was complete silence all around as everyone waited to see what would happen. 

The brown-haired boy laughed slightly, rubbing the back of his head in something of embarrassment – no hint of real pain. He grinned, shocking the others all the more. "Thanks," he said simply, putting out his hand. "I needed that." 

Yamato grinned back, smiling through narrowed eyes as though perhaps help were not his true intention. "Of course you did," he answered with some amount of smugness, putting his own hand out in response. "Why do you think I came all the way out to this crazy place?" 

The rest of those present only stared in stunned silence. Hikari sighed. "I should have known," she muttered softly. "Should have known that would be the only way to knock sense into you." She shook her head slightly as though she understood and yet didn't at the same time, and turned away from the scene. After a moment, the rest of the group, satisfied that the real action was over, also began to pack up the remains of their meal and move away. 

"You _thank_ him?" Daisuke asked in disbelief, completely without that understanding which Hikari (and the others) seemed to somehow have. "I'd hit him back!" He stared blankly at the two boys.

Taichi shrugged lightly. "Maybe later," he answered, turning to walk away. 

"I don't understand…"

Yamato folded his arms and peered down at the younger boy. "That's simply the way our friendship works," he explained as though he had somehow come to some conclusion about it. "Sometimes you have to know when some people need a slap in the face." He shook his hand, loosening the tension in the muscles of his hand and moving off to join the others.

Daisuke pondered this for a moment, staring out into the vast emptiness of the sand for a few moments and wondering about the nature of friendship. _'How could I possibly be worthy of such a digimental when I don't _understand_ those things?'_ he wondered. 

***

The picnic lunch was over. The real work was now about to begin. The remains of the meal were repacked into the sacks and bags that it had been carried in. With somewhat lighter burdens, the group prepared to set out once more. Only one thing needed to be decided. 

Patamon landed himself securely upon his partner's head, shaking his head slightly. "I see nothing out there," he answered for what felt like the thousandth time that day. "No enemies, no buildings, nothing but sand."

"So whichever way we go, we're going blind?" Yamato interpreted. "Sounds great." 

Miyako shook her head and pointed to the north-east, deeper into the wasteland and further from their point of origin near the Primary Village. "It's that way," she stated simply. "That's the direction I sensed with the spell." 

"I don't understand," Taichi spoke up then, voicing the confusion of most of the rest of the group. "You caused that storm to get _information_?" 

Miyako nodded. "The wind carries information," she answered. "Since the places I was trying to get the information from were far away, it required a lot of wind. It's not important _how_. What _is _ important is that I sensed Ken's retreat." She pointed her arm again in the same direction. "He went that way. I'm certain his base is in that direction." 

"Hey!" came a shout just then, and several heads turned the same direction at once toward the faint sound. 

"I know that voice…" Tailmon commented thoughtfully, her large ears perked up and turned toward the noise. 

"I see something," Patamon observed from his vantage point atop Takeru's head. He squinted in the sunlight. "It looks like a yellow blob." 

"A yellow blob?" Takeru echoed. "Against the sand that should be really easy to spot." He shielded his eyes with his hand and tried to look in the direction indicated. "I don't see anything. Oh, wait!" 

"Is that what I think it is?" Hikari questioned, standing on tip-toes to try to see at the taller boy's eye level. 

"Or _who…_," Yamato corrected. 

"Agumon!" Taichi shouted, and at once took off in a run toward what Patamon had described as a yellow blob. 

"Taichi!" the small dinosaur called out in response, slowly coming more into focus against the pale sands. 

Miyako frowned, and noticed a similar expression on the faces of Yamato and Iori as well, although the others quickly joined in the celebration of Agumon's return. 

"It's probably a trap," Yamato muttered, always cynical, cautious. "Too easy. I don't like it." 

"Agumon, what happened?" Taichi was eagerly questioning, no doubt eager to hear the tale of how his digimon partner had managed to escape, which promised to be an exciting tale. 

The digimon's response, however, was unexpectedly dull. "I dunno," he answered with a shrug. "I fell asleep in the middle of snow – I remember being very cold, and then the next thing I knew, I was awake in the middle of the desert." 

Taichi was disbelieving. "That's all you remember?" he echoed blankly. Agumon nodded. 

Before anyone else could express their concern about this situation, however, a shadow passed overhead. Expecting what was to come next, five hands went for five different digivices and digimentals, and all seven digimon were immediately on guard. 

"Any second now…" Iori whispered, already in fighting stance, waiting for the attack to come. 

The sand whirled around them suddenly, more viciously than even Miyako's sandstorm of earlier. It rose above their heads and around them, the air about them clear and safe, but nothing else. 

"Not again!" Daisuke shouted in complaint, imagining what was to come next.  

"Everyone on the ground!" Takeru advised, throwing his body to the sound and covering his eyes from the assault of sand. He held Patamon in his arms, shielding him with his body. 

The sand came a split second later, crashing down on them like a vicious wave of sand, much more damaging and painful than the ordinary attack of water from an ocean, and just as vicious. The blast of sand quickly accomplished the task of burying them, leaving few with time to prepare. Those who had hesitated in the slightest were unprepared, and all were covered with the grainy material. 

Takeru pushed his head up out of the sand, finding that to his relief Patamon was still safe in his arms. The wave of sand had passed, but the wind had not. He could see nothing, and no one else. A short distance from him he was able to make out an arm, but he couldn't tell who it belonged to. He managed to unbury himself from the sand – a difficult task indeed since it had dug itself inside his clothes, his ears, and even his throat. His entire body – even the inside – itched and burned with the tiny granules of sand, and movement was slow going. Just when he thought he'd come close to escaping, with all but his feet freed from the prison of sand, another gust of wind blew, and then the sand slammed down atop him again, and he found it next to impossible to see, hear, or breathe. The last thing he heard before the sand filled his ears was some sort of laughter. 

The sand hit too fast for Miyako to prepare. After her first instance using magical shields – and seeing how useful they'd been for Koushiro during the ambush – she'd taken it upon herself to practice and memorize the hand movements involved, but even with this awareness in her mind, she didn't have time to execute the spell. She felt rather than saw the others get buried through the sound, and for a moment was too stunned by the unexpected magical attack to move at all. 

"Miyako!" Hawkmon yelled to her over the roar of the sound, and the only reason she was able to hear him was because she'd instinctively taken him into her arms when she'd seen the shadow and knew the attack was imminent. "We've got to get out of here!" 

His advice, though well intentioned, was easier said than done, unfortunately. The sand hit with such a surprising force that she found herself quickly unable to move. _'I've got to do something or we'll all die,'_ she thought suddenly, and felt panicked for the first time in a while. She reacted the best way she knew possible, by summoning her magical strength and increasing the power of her aura, which was the first step in creating any sort of magical shield and which was, she thought, her best form of protection against the assault. 

As though the storm and the sand were responding to her strength, the wind slowly died down for a moment, long enough for Miyako to see a few heads peeking up above the sand. Armadimon and Iori had been closest to her, and she saw that, though Iori appeared tired and barely able to move in the high sands, his partner was relatively unaffected, being somewhat adapted to the desert as he was. In the opposite direction she could see Takeru pulling himself up out of the sand and trying to make his way towards someone else, though she couldn't tell who. Before she could get a grasp on the situation or even try to figure out what she should do next, however, she heard some sort of laughing, and then behind her sensed some sort of dark concentration of magic. Then the wind empowered the sand once more and she could see and hear nothing but the whirling sand. 

Somehow or another, Miyako managed empower the magical aura stronger around her. Although it wasn't strong enough (being not at full shield power) to block the sand entirely, it did manage to filter some of it away from her and Hawkmon, who was still clutched in her arms.

_'This isn't good enough,'_ she scolded herself. _'I've got to create a full shield, and it needs to be large enough to protect everyone, not just me. But do I have the strength for that?'_ The wind rushed through her ears even with the protection of her aura. Trying as best she knew how to put thoughts of self-doubt out of her mind, Miyako focused on strengthening her aura and attempting to recall exactly how the magic had to be manipulated in order to create the aura because she knew the hand movements usually used to guide the magic would be nearly impossible to perform here. 

There had been some brief respite, but only long enough for Daisuke to gather his thoughts about him and attempt to realize precisely what had happened before the sands began again. He didn't know what had happened to the others, if they had been blown days journey away from him or if they, too, were buried in the painful sands. V-mon had been standing near him when the winds had hit, and now he suspected that his partner had been buried in the sand. Before there was a chance to react, however, the sands were lifted again in the wind and all thoughts, voluntary or not, were erased from the brain as air escaped the lungs and was replaced with sand.

For a few tense moments, there was nothing to be seen or heard but sand. It whirled within the ears and stung even the most tightly closed eyes. The second wave of swirling sand showed no sign of pausing, and then…

Hikari had taken Takeru's advice and crouched low to the ground, but now it would appear that advice was not the best to give, because the sand quickly covered her entirely, making breathing next to impossible. Her mind flew quickly as she tried frantically to think of some means of escape, struggling under the surface. 

Suddenly, there was a blast of even stronger wind, and then the air grew remarkably still. Hikari found, surprisingly, that she could breathe easily, and that she could move, and she found that, although her skin felt gritty and covered with sand, she was freed of the oppressive substance. She stood, tentatively, and opened her eyes. 

The air was indeed still, although she saw that just a short distance away the wind and sand were still raging about viciously. For a moment, Hikari could only stare in surprise. _'What sort of magic…?'_ she wondered, and then remembered Miyako, who was standing, concentration upon her face, only a short distance away, working valiantly to sustain the shields. 

The others began to rise, safe now from the sands, brushing the grainy substance from their bodies and coughing to expel the sand from their lungs.  Takeru was grinning as he wiped the sand from his bare arms. "That's it, Miyako," he commented supportively. "He's not the only one with magic." Patamon was attempting to clean the sands from his ears. 

Yamato stood up, rubbing his head, which felt sore from the sand having filled his ears. "Sand. Ech," he stated, summing up his whole feelings on the situation by trying to spit the substance from his mouth and making a disgusted face. Taichi coughed the sand successfully from his lungs and throat and then noted with some relief that Agumon was still safely beside him, though covered over with the sand as much as anyone else.

Armadimon emerged from where he'd tunneled for safety, under the sand that still remained. He looked up at his partner and grinned broadly. "This isn't too bad as long as you don't eat it," he commented, having overheard Yamato's comment. 

"I wasn't exactly _trying_ to," Yamato answered, taking a small sip of water from his canteen to wash the taste of sand from his mouth. He made several more disgusted faces. 

"Don't just stand there!" Miyako shouted suddenly, overhearing the conversation. "I can't hold this shield all day. Fight back or the sand will never stop blowing!" 

Takeru made no verbal response to this, he just nodded, and gripped tighter on his digivice, which he still held safely in his hand. "Digimental up!" 

"Working on it!" Patamon responded, having finally expelled the sand from his ears. "Patamon armor evolve! Pegasmon!" A flash of light filled the area, and a moment later the small, large-eared digimon was replaced with a larger, winged creature. 

"You have sand in your ears too?" Hikari questioned of her partner, whose ears could easily be said to be nearly as large as Patamon's. 

Tailmon shook her head. "Nope," she answered confidently, twitching her ears in response. "I'm ready." 

"All right, then," Hikari answered, pleased. "Digimental up!" 

"Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!" Another flash of light signaled the transformation of the small feline creature into her larger, more powerful form. 

Armadimon peered up at his partner, an eager expression on his face. "Let's go, then! I'm ready!" 

Iori nodded solemnly. "Digimental up!" he called, gripping his digivice in one hand. Again the flash of light blinded all present momentarily. 

"Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" The small, armored digimon quickly became his much more formidable form, drills at the ready. 

The blowing sand, still visible outside the shield, crashed hard into the invisible walls. "I can't hold much longer," Miyako muttered through the effort of exertion. Beads of sweat had formed on her forehead and they were quickly becoming rivers, streaming down her face. "And you can't get out while they're still up. So if you're going, then you must be ready before they come down!" 

V-mon peered up at his partner in expectation, a questioning expression on his face, though he spoke no words.

"Right. Last one, Miyako," Daisuke called in encouragement. He held the digimental container in one hand, an unspoken question entering his mind. He glanced down and saw that there were, in fact, two small eggs visible within the container, where before there had been only one. "A choice then," he muttered to himself. "Digimental up!" 

"Yahoo!" his partner cheered. "V-mon armor evolve!" The white light filled the sheltered area one last time. "Lighdramon!" 

"All ready, Miyako!" Hikari called. "Lower the shield!" 

"Be careful!" Miyako warned. "The sand and wind are strong and I don't think I'll be able to put up another shield!" With great relief, she slowly lowered the shield, reigning in her aura and permitting her strength to slowly return. 

Then the protection was gone completely, and the sands rushed in quickly again. 

"Get us out of here!" Hikari called to Nefertimon a split second before the blowing sand was to hit them. She'd climbed on her partner's back and gripped tightly. Immediately, the flying digimon took to the skies, narrowly avoiding the assault of sand. 

Takeru and Pegasmon were only a split second behind them, also taking to the air to avoid the sand storm. "This is no good!" Takeru called in frustration. "How are the others going to escape?" 

"I don't know," Hikari called back. There was little reason for them to worry then, however, because then sand ceased once more, and their attacker could be seen only a short distance away. 

"What's this? Magic?" the Kaiser wondered, his voice clear in the resumed silence of the desert. "How is this possible? Which of you has managed to gain the power of magic?" There was no response from his opponents. "Attack them!" 

Miyako felt weak, beyond any weakness she'd felt before. Two powerful spells in one day were just too much for her to handle. Her knees gave out suddenly, and she fell backwards into the sand. 

"Careful there," Yamato warned, catching her easily.

The assault of Tyrannomon and Golemon began again. As they were the best sort of fighters for the sand, they were again brought out to fight. The Tyrannomon used their powerful fire attacks on sand and before long the desert was made hotter by the flames of fire. 

"Fire Breath!" shouted one of the Tyrannomon – there appeared to be four in all – and aimed his attack directly toward where the remaining land-bound chosen were standing. 

"Yaah!" Yamato and Taichi both shouted in surprise, and, grabbed Miyako, who'd by default been left in their charge, and hurried quickly out of range. 

"Fire Blast!" shouted another creature from behind that they hadn't noticed before. It looked like a typical Tyrannomon, only darker. 

"Blue Thunder!" called another voice loudly, and a blast of electric lightning connected with the stomach of the Dark Tyrannomon. 

"Ha! Take that!" Daisuke taunted in defiance, riding upon the back of his partner's newest form. 

"Need some help, brother?" Takeru called from somewhere overhead.

"Shooting Star!" Pegasmon aimed directly for the ring about the digimon's arm, but his attack did little damage.

"Wasn't that supposed to _do_ something?" Gabumon wondered. 

"He's made them stronger," Miyako mumbled from her half-collapsed state within Yamato's arms. "Like I thought he would. So that they can sustain the power of a higher-level digimon." 

"You didn't tell us that!" Daisuke shouted in surprise. 

There was laughter from somewhere else above them, then. "At least someone within your group has brains!" the Kaiser called from his usual perch atop an Airdramon. "But there's only one digimon I'm interested in bringing to a higher level." 

"No!" Taichi shouted in response, immediately forgetting Miyako and stepping in front of his partner, who was glaring with some amount of anger at the Kaiser. "You're not touching him!" 

Laughter was again the response to this statement. "You don't have much of a say in the matter, I'm afraid," the Kaiser answered, and raised one gloved hand, twisting his wrist in such a manner as to produce an odd-shaped dark ring. 

"What - ?" Iori gasped. "They're different!" 

"Spirals," Miyako muttered softly. "Different design." 

Before anyone could respond, the spiral flew quickly across the sands and found its target, ignoring completely the obstacle of Taichi standing in its way. 

"I-uh-have a feeling that we're going to need to move. Now!" Yamato realized. He stepped back cautiously and then broke into a run, still trying to carry Miyako on his own. 

"Digimental up!" Miyako responded, by some miracle still hanging on to consciousness. 

"Are you certain you can handle this?" Hawkmon questioned with concern as he flapped alongside Yamato's running steps. 

"I'll handle it!" she answered simply, impatient. 

"All right. Hawkmon armor evolve! Holsmon!" The final armor evolution was completed quickly, and a few moments later the large bird digimon was in the air, his partner, Yamato, and Gabumon all riding safely on his back. 

"Agumon?" Taichi was asking tentatively. His partner didn't respond for a moment. There was a strange expression on his face. And then his eyes glowed red. A low growl emitted from his throat. 

"Baby Flame!" he spat, and the small fireball landed at the feet of his partner. 

"Taichi! Get out of there!" Hikari called to her brother from the safety of the air. 

"Agumon…" Taichi repeated, less of a question than a pleading statement now. He ignored his sister's pleas. Iori gripped his arm and tried to tug him away, but the help was shrugged off with little notice.

"You'd do best to listen," the Kaiser advised, grinning triumphantly now. He gripped something in his right hand, an object surrounded with a tangible black glow, visible to all. 

The black glow surrounded Agumon as well and blinded the surrounding people and digimon for a few moments. When it faded, the small digimon had been replaced with his larger version. 

Greymon roared loudly and angrily. "Mega Flame!" 

Taichi dived quickly out of the way, astonished because his partner's coloring had changed from his usual yellow-orange to a darker tint now, external evidence of the darkness now controlling him. 

"Taichi, you've got to get out of there!" Hikari pleaded, and now Yamato joined in:

"Run, you idiot! You'll be killed!" 

"I don't think it's over yet…" Miyako muttered softly, fully aware now but still weak. 

The glowing aura had not dissipated and now it began to intensify once more. The size grew larger. Iori again grabbed the older boy's arm and pulled hard, but again his efforts weren't much use. 

"This _can't _be happening…" Taichi mumbled vaguely. "Agumon!" 

The black dark glowing light filled the area for a moment. When it dissipated, an even larger digimon stood in the middle of the sand, his very existence and power causing a few small granules of sand to fly into the air and whirl about. 

"What the -?" Yamato gasped in surprise. 

"What _is_ that?" Takeru echoed in astonishment. The creature that stood before them now was like nothing they'd ever seen. He appeared to be constructed of nothing but pure bones, and stood easily twice as tall as Greymon had. Darkness simply emanated from his body, so thick that all could see it, even those with out an ounce of magic blood. 

"Skull Greymon," Gabumon whispered from behind his partner. 

"I never imagined it would be this…evil," Miyako stammered, the shock of the creation causing her to forget her weakness for the moment. "I thought he would just become Metal Greymon again…" 

"This is what happens when digimon are pushed to another level," Gabumon noted wisely. 

Yamato shuddered. "Remind me never to do that, then." 

Iori had given up attempts to try to drag Taichi from the scene now that the large digimon had appeared, and, as Digmon was not the fastest-moving digimon around, he quickly departed. 

"Taichi!" Hikari called, and finally decided to try to pull her brother away from his partner on her own. Before she could, however, the bony digimon waved an arm in her direction, and Nefertimon was forced to swerve midair to avoid a collision with the massive opinion. "Someone _do _something!" she pleaded, gripping tightly to her partner's neck during the swerve. 

Taichi was completely unable to move. He stared up at what had once been his partner, and saw the visible darkness emanating from the bony creature. Connected as he was to his partner even in this instance, he felt for a few brief and scattered moments the dark emotions and dark feelings run through his own blood. At once he understood what it was that had caused this evolution to go in this way, and at once realized how he himself might have caused it. And knew how he could thus prevent it. 

Within all this thinking, however, he had little resembling a plan of action. Ordinarily, he was a person who preferred to act and save thinking and debating for later, but now he found himself completely without motive. He stared simply. He couldn't run away, that would be abandoning his partner, and yet he knew that he also could not stay where he was, for that would be suicidal. Before he could come to a decision, however, the massive digimon lifted a foot. 

The large bony appendage lifted into the air. Hikari shut her eyes instinctively, not daring to wish to peek and see the flattened pancake that her brother would be if he happened to be standing under that foot when it came down. 

Taichi couldn't move, standing, staring at the bones directly over his head. For only about the third time in his entire life, he felt fear, and fear beyond what he had ever felt before. 

Suddenly, there was some odd streak of blue that flashed before his eyes before he could identify what it was and then Taichi felt something grip his arm and a few seconds later, he was moving. There was a violent crash that felt much like an earthquake, and he realized that the giant, bony digimon had put his foot down and he was not dead. 

"You all right?" a voice questioned a moment later, and he realized then that he had stopped moving and was once again sitting in the sand. Taichi blinked, and saw the face of Daisuke come into view. He turned back toward where he had come from and saw that Skull Greymon was walking about and realized what must have happened. 

"I – think so…" he answered hesitantly. 

"Close call there, you know! Might want to improve the timing!" Yamato's voice called from nearby as Miyako and he landed safely in the sand nearby. 

"Yeah, well, it worked, didn't it?" Daisuke answered, grinning sheepishly. 

"Barely. You almost got yourself killed," Miyako replied. She didn't look in his direction, however, and her voice held a hint of a chill in it. 

"Taichi!" Hikari's voice called then, interrupting whatever sort of comeback he might have thought of. Nefertimon landed briefly in the sand, long enough for her partner to dismount, before taking off again to aid somehow in the battle. "Are you all right? Don't ever do that again!" 

Meanwhile, the battle was continuing. Takeru and Pegasmon were attempting to find a weak spot in the bony digimon's armor, and, hoping that perhaps the head was it, were flying high in the sky. 

"Shooting Star!" the flying quadruped called, firing his attack, but it bounced off the bones, appearing not to have even slightly harmed Skull Greymon. 

It did, however, serve to annoy him quite a bit, and so the giant digimon responded by waving his claw in the direction of his attackers. Pegasmon was able to avoid the bony arms by only a hair's breadth. 

"Rosetta Stone!" Nefertimon shouted, re-joining the battle. Her attack was no more or less effective than the other, and Skull Greymon flailed his other arm in her direction, again barely missing his attacker. 

"Let's try this," Digmon suggested. "Gold Rush!" He fired his drills into the bones of the leg, with home that they would at least manage to mar the creature. But they, too, dissipated harmlessly on the hard substance. 

Skull Greymon was not in the least hurt, but he was getting quite annoyed. He opened his massive mouth and fired a large blast of flame in Digmon's direction, roaring loudly with anger as he did so. Again, Digmon barely managed to escape. 

"How about this?" Lighdramon offered, also joining the battle. "Blue Thunder!" The electrical sparks flew, and connected solidly with a point somewhere on Skull Greymon's thigh. It, too, did little damage. 

Seriously angered now, the massive digimon stomped his feet and waved his arms, paying little attention to what he might connect with. One fist struck the side of a Tyrannomon, the other struck the Dark Tyrannomon nearby. This served to have the effect of further angering the Kaiser. 

"Have you forgotten what side you're on?!" he shouted to Skull Greymon, forgetting enough his gloating over his success for the moment. Skull Greymon paid no attention to him, and instead growled loudly and began to spit fireballs again, some of which came dangerously close to the Kaiser himself, and one in particular which seriously injured the Dark Tyrannomon. 

"You idiot!" Miyako shouted suddenly from the opposite side of the battlefield. "Don't you see you haven't any control over him! He's attacking you as well!" 

"If we can't hit him – what are we supposed to do?" Hikari questioned. "It looks like he's totally out of control." 

Iori agreed. "Even Ken doesn't have any control over him anymore. He's attacking everything that comes near him. How much longer can he keep this up?" 

"Probably not much longer," Miyako sighed. "He's emitting a lot of power. He'll probably wear himself out soon, and then our problems will be over." 

"Supposing we don't get killed before that happens, of course," Yamato noted. 

****

Okay, then. This section turned out to be a bit longer than I planned. Hope the extra-long chapter makes up for the usual delays. Again, sorry, sorry, sorry, but school is not exactly something I can do in my spare time. Thanks for sticking with me! ^_^

Once more, a lot of action in this chapter. This is a pretty action-filled story, I think, as opposed to some of the earlier ones in this series… One of my personal favorite things to work on (in case you hadn't noticed) is the development of Miyako's magical abilities. They're so much fun to write! ^_^

Let's see, next section…hmm.. well, obviously there will some amount of closure to this section (eventually) and expect very soon for Miyako and Iori to get their second digimentals. That was supposed to start happening in this section, but the battle got drawn out, so it'll have to wait. I don't plan these things out ahead, in case you were wondering. ^_~

Thanks everyone for reading, reviewing, and sticking with this story through all the delays! No end in sight (sorry!) so stay tuned! 

Ja-ne! ::waves::  


	15. Talking, Leaving, and Falling

In the Dark

Part Fifteen: Talking, Leaving, and Falling

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: ::sigh:: Digimon is _not mine!_ Unless anyone would like to get it for me for my birthday (which is a few months away anyhow), all characters, etc, are the property of Toei, Saban, and a bunch of other companies. I think Disney has stock in it now, but that's the English Dub, and they can have that. Bleh. I am only borrowing from these nice, rich people, and I have no money to give them. The plot borrows heavily from the original series, but it's MINE! Therefore: Don't sue, don't steal, or I'll get mad at you. So there. Enjoy reading!

***

The thick, heavy blanket was now covered with ice and therefore twice as heavy as when it had first been hung upon the line. Sora tapped at the side of it with her fist and sighed. 

"I suppose that's as dry as it will get," she observed with a frown. "Well, best get it inside before it gets any colder. Maybe it'll thaw in there." 

Jun stood beside her with a less optimistic expression. "I don't know that we'll be able to carry it." She looked down, making sure that her mittens were secured over her hands. Then, she summoned all of her strength and gripped her end of the blanket. 

***

Several of the Dark Tyrannomon had been injured, and three of the four Tyrannomon were inadvertently freed by the fire blasts of Skull Greymon. The battle in itself was quickly forgotten, and those remaining did their best to simply stay out of the large, powerful, and angry creature's way. This involved quite a bit of running and fleeing. 

After a few moments of dodging and evading, however, the black aura glowing about Skull Greymon's body slowly dissipated and he began to shrink back into Agumon. Taichi took off at a run at the first sign of his partner's return to normal. 

***

The clanking sounds continued within the cabin. Three stoves had been rebuilt and set in three corners of the cabin. With several extra blankets and cloths hanging as tapestries on the walls adding to the insulation and creating new rooms, the quickly-assembled building was slowly becoming normal. Jyou had lit two of the three stoves and was now getting to work on lighting the last. Koushiro was occupied with the fourth stove, trying to fit the exhaust pipe through a small hole in the roof of the cabin. This involved sitting on a beam some distance from the ground.  Tentomon was a bit nervous about this, but the wizard was as usual too busy involved in his projects to bother with things that might possibly endanger his life. 

Jyou tossed the final piece of burning wood into the third stove and rubbed his arms for warmth. "It's finally beginning to thaw in here," he observed with some relief. "I was starting to think I was going to turn into ice myself." 

"Well, you are almost as tall as a Yukidarumon," Gomamon joked from where he lay near the stove, warming himself comfortably in the heat. 

"Funny," the doctor replied with little outward humor. He was thinking of an appropriate response to this when his thoughts were broken by the sound of grunting and struggling coming from near the door. He went to open it, and Sora entered a moment later, dragging a large rectangular object that barely fit through the door. 

"Just a…little…farther…," she grunted. "Almost…through the…door…." As she pulled, some unseen figure on the opposite end pushed, and the mostly-frozen object was dragged through the door along the ground and into the cabin. 

"Eh…Sora?" Jyou questioned hesitantly. He gripped the frozen blanket and attempted to assist in dragging it, but found it too cold to touch without gloves. He immediately began to search the pocket of his jacket for them. "What…uh…exactly is…this huge blanket for?" 

"For a floor!" Piyomon interrupted from her perch in the rafters, having declined to go outside and watch her partner pull the giant object through the snow. 

"A floor?" Tentomon echoed. 

"Yes, a floor," Jun answered, finally having reached the door herself and therefore meaning that the job was finished. "Unless you'd prefer to have the dirt?" 

"An excellent idea." Koushiro nodded his approval. He paused and frowned thoughtfully. "But I doubt it'll be much good if it's frozen." 

***

Two and a half hours past high noon, and the group finally reached the edge of the desert. Exhausted, and with still almost an hour's walk back to the camp, they paused to rest for a few moments and put on their extra layers once more. 

Miyako sank into the grassy patch in the sand and looked into the forest. Within sight she could see patches of snow and she knew that the cabin was just beyond that forest. "If I only had more strength," she sighed to Hawkmon. "If you could fly we could be home in a few minutes and I could be sleeping already." 

"It won't be long before we're home," Hikari tried to reassure her, offering her a sip of water from her canteen. "We'll be back at the cabin in no time and then you can rest all you need." 

"I think we could all use a few days sleep," Yamato agreed, wiping the sweat from his eyes and searching through his bag for the cloak he'd brought. 

"This seems so odd," Takeru noted, chuckling as he threw his own cloak over his shoulders and put his winter hat on his head. "Here I am sweating and putting on a warm cloak." He shook his head. 

"What sort of magic is responsible for this?" Iori questioned, turning to Miyako. 

"I'm not certain, exactly," she confessed, looking around her. "I'm not that knowledgeable about magical forces. I'd guess, though, that this is a natural occurrence and not created." 

"Natural?" Daisuke echoed. "What do you mean?" 

"Meaning that Ken didn't create it. It's been here for quite some time," she answered. "Yes, this barrier is definitely of a different sort of magic. It's not dark magic, and it doesn't have the same feel. It has a very ancient feel to it. If it _was_ created, then it was created centuries ago…"

"But for what purpose?" Taichi wondered. "It doesn't keep people out, it only drastically alters the climate. What need would anyone have for such a boundary?" 

Miyako shook her head. "I can't even begin to speculate," she answered. "Perhaps Koushiro has some answers. I don't." 

***

Sora tapped the side of the heavy blanket again. It now hung from the rafters of the cabin, thawing in the heat of the four stoves assembled and burning at full blast. 

"It will take an awful lot of fuel to keep so many stoves burning," Jun was observing as she watched Jyou pile a few more pieces of wood onto the stove. 

"No more than it would take to keep a large fireplace going," Koushiro replied from his perch assembling the fifth and final stove.

The four-cornered cabin was arranged simply. One half of it was designated for communal activities such as eating, planning, and talking. A makeshift table and several crates serving as chairs were arranged in that section. The other half was for sleeping, and was sectioned through the use of the blankets and curtains into three separate sections, each holding three people. Only two cots had been spared from the destroyed original tents, and Yamato and Sora had brought only two more with them, so until more could be fashioned, some would have to simply slumber on blankets on the floor. 

In each corner was set a stove, and then a third stove was placed in the middle of the third sleeping section, allowing for equal heat for all the inhabitants while sleeping. One stove in the main sitting area was set aside specifically for daily cooking, although in truth any of the stoves could serve that purpose. Near that stove, they had assembled in a somewhat organized fashion the extra food supplies and cooking and eating utensils. 

"Almost thawed," Sora announced triumphantly as she tapped the side of the blanket. It was large enough to serve as "floor" for the entire communal area. Smaller blankets had already been laid down for the sleeping areas. She looked about the cabin with a peaceful feeling. "This place already feels so much more homely than before." 

"Like I said, they won't recognize it," Jun agreed, grinning back in response. She paused then and looked toward the door. For all its comforts of home, the cabin still had no windows. And it lacked certain people.

"Do you think they'll be back tonight?" Alraumon wondered from where she sat on one of the crates used as seats. 

"Maybe not," Piyomon answered, still perched in the rafters. "If they had to travel a long distance…" 

"It's almost dark already," Tentomon noted, perched near Piyomon. "It gets dark early this time of year." 

"But they won't want to stay out late in that territory," Gomamon pointed out from his spot near the stove. "So they'd best hurry." 

Sora grabbed her warm cloak from where it hung near the stove and slipped her feet back into her boots that sat beside it. She began to lace up the strings on them and tied them quickly. 

"Where are you going?" Piyomon asked. 

"Outside," she answered. "To wait." 

"Wait," Jun interrupted. She picked up a lantern, delivered that morning with the extra supplies. "I'll go with you." 

***

"Sun's going down," Yamato noted with a frown. "Think we should stop?" 

"Not a good idea," Takeru answered. "Stay out here? In the cold? In the dark? In enemy territory?" 

"Yeah, but will we make it if we keep going?" Patamon questioned from atop his partner's head.  The brothers turned back toward the group. 

They were deep within the forest now and the snow was deep. The going was slow. Miyako was visibly exhausted, their digimon were all tired, and Agumon was unconscious still. The small digimon needed to be carried over the deep snow, and the extra weight slowed their tired partners down even more. 

"I don't think it's a good idea to stop," Gabumon voiced. "If we keep going we might make it." 

"We _will_ make it," Takeru disagreed. 

"Hey," Iori noted suddenly. "Do you see a light?" 

***

"Ta-da!" Koushiro voiced triumphantly. "Finished. Finally." He sat back on the rafter and looked down at the cabin. "Now we'll never freeze again." 

"Good, good," Tentomon answered dismissively. "Now could you _please_ come down off that rafter? You're making me nervous, you know." 

As soon as the young wizard had reached the ground the door to the cabin opened unexpectedly, and a crowed of people immediately hurried quickly in, all complaining loudly of the cold or the exhaustion or the long walk. 

"See Koushiro?" Jun's voice called over the din. "We've found them!" 

Jyou emerged from behind a curtain where he'd been arranging some of his things and medicines in the sleeping sections of the cabin. He carried a candle in his hand. "I'm here," he announced. "Who's badly injured this time?" 

He was slightly disappointed when he learned that nearly everyone was basically all right. 

***

The evening meal that night was better than they could have remembered eating in some time. There was fresh food for the first time in nearly a week, the cabin was warmer than the tents had ever been, and almost everyone was healthy, though all were exhausted. 

The food-making was a communal effort. Sora and Jun, seeing as how they had been the least endangered and exhausted, worked together to put forth a near-feast, and everyone marveled over the state of the cabin. The blanket-floor finished thawing shortly before the meal was finished cooking, and a larger communal effort was required to lower the still-heavy item on to the floor. 

Only Miyako wasn't present for the feast. Too exhausted to even bother with food, she went almost immediately to the cot set aside for her, and fell directly to sleep. All agreed it would be best not to wake her for the food. 

***

When she awoke, Miyako found herself in an unfamiliar place. She was lying in a cot – that at least was familiar, but she was warmer than she could remember being in a while. She sat up slowly, letting her vision return to normal and saw that she was in a small room made from blanketed walls. Slowly, her memory returned to her, and she recalled helping Sora and Jun to make this room before she'd left to find the others. Surprisingly, the 'room' was comfortable in temperature. She looked up and saw that Hawkmon was perched in the rafters directly overhead, enjoying a leisurely nap. She had just started to move the blankets off of her when one of the curtains moved and Hikari appeared, carrying a small tray made from a board with a bowl of soup and a cup of tea on it. 

"Oh, good, you're awake," she observed as she entered. 

"Just woke up," the other answered, yawning. "How long was I asleep?" 

Hikari set the tray down on the trunk beside the cot. "Not as long as I thought you'd be. It's only just past noon."

"I'm not as exhausted as the last time," she admitted, sniffing the hot soup cautiously. "Is it edible?"

The younger girl laughed in amusement. "Surprisingly, yes. We did get some new supplies, thankfully." 

Miyako nodded. "I'd forgotten about that," she admitted, and carefully raised the bowl to her lips, sipping a bit of the hot liquid. "Mmm…that is an improvement." She let the soup warm her and her mind drifted, thinking about the consequences of her magic.  

_'Two big spells in one day, that's a lot. Not long ago I could barely do a little one, and now two in one day. That's a pretty big step. I wonder how strong this magic gets. What will I do with it when all this is over?' _ She'd never before thought about the consequences of having magic. It seemed natural to study it and practice it in order to help the Chosen, but what about when the time came that they were no longer needed? For the first time, Miyako began to think seriously about the future. Would she become a full-fledged magic user? A sorceress, even? What sort of thing would that entail? Would she still be able to have some sort of family in the future? What if practicing magic involved going farther away from her family? She already felt horrid about leaving Momoe behind and not being there through the pregnancy. She decided that she would have to ask Koushiro about all those things, and about the odd climate changes they'd seen. She wondered if any of the others had thought to ask him about it. Perhaps he was already at work researching it. She pictured the wizard pouring over the books he'd brought to the cabin and wishing he'd brought more from the castle. 

Hikari had remained, seating herself on the opposite cot. She absently picked up a book that was lying on the ground and flipped through the pages. Miyako watched over the edge of her soup bowl as she peered at the pages. From the cover, Miyako could tell it was a book of magic. Immediately, her thoughts drifted towards what she knew of Hikari's magic…and what she was not permitted to tell. She sighed, setting the bowl down for a moment. 

"Is something wrong?" Hikari asked, sensing her discomfort.

There was most certainly something wrong – there were several things wrong, in fact – but Miyako couldn't exactly explain any of them to Hikari. She shook her head instead and peered at the ceiling, watching as her partner began to rouse himself from his midday nap. 

***

Koushiro _was_ pouring over a book at that very moment. "I really should have brought a different book with me," he muttered as he flipped the pages quickly. 

"You couldn't very well have brought all six hundred something books with you, you know," Tentomon responded sensibly. He was perched casually in the upper rafters of the cabin, peering over his, partner who was seated at the makeshift table in the common area. 

"Oh, I'm sure he could have if he'd tried hard enough," Jyou disagreed. He was at the opposite end of the room, organizing bottles of herbs, medicines, and bandages on to shelves that he and Yamato had just installed that morning. He found most of Koushiro's frantic book searches quite amusing, and was in good humor as he worked. 

"I don't see how he manages to keep sane, looking at all those spells all day," Takeru commented. "It would hurt my eyes."  He was loading some wood he and Iori were carting inside to help keep warm. Five stoves meant a lot of wood had to be carried. The three stoves in the sleeping areas would be used only at night, but the other two were needed almost constantly for cooking and heating purposes. Yamato and Taichi, eager to be outside, had volunteered to help chop wood, leaving the younger boys the task of carrying it back to the cabin. Beside the cabin, a large woodpile had already begun to take shape. 

"I can't see how you manage to carry wood all day," Koushiro retorted good-naturedly. "It would hurt my arms more than your eyes." 

Patamon, as usual perched on his partner's head, laughed aloud. "He has a point, Takeru." 

Tailmon, curled up sleepily by the stove and possibly the warmest of any of them, offered her opinion: "I'd rather read books all day if it meant staying inside." She shivered to make her point, yawned, and returned to her nap. 

Takeru only shrugged. "Someone's gotta do it," he explained cheerfully as he departed, off to carry the next load. 

"I should think _carrying_ wood is not as bad as chopping it all day," Jyou commented, polishing one of the glass bottles with a cloth and setting it on the shelf. "I'm much more content to stay in here and organize, thank you." 

The curtain leading to the sleeping area parted and Miyako and Hikari entered the larger area, carrying Miyako's used soup bowl and tray with them. Miyako looked around her at the sitting area, which, with half-built table and several crates for seats, looked only slightly homier than when she'd last seen it. 

"It still needs some work," Hikari stated, as though sensing her thoughts. "Perhaps some cushions?" 

"A window," Hawkmon announced. "A window is what it needs. It's much too boxed in." 

"Both would help," Miyako agreed, nodding. "But what it's lacking for the moment is people. Where is everyone?" 

"Outside freezing," Tailmon mumbled sleepily, rolling over again. 

"Chopping wood, I think," Jyou added. "Although I don't expect Gomamon is helping. He's probably sliding in the snow." He shook his head with a sigh, thinking all this desire to run around in the cold snow to be quite insane. 

***

Morning dawned a bit warmer the next day, much to the relief of the inhabitants, especially those that planned to leave that day. Yamato managed to coax and bully the two Monochromon back to the carriage (which was now thankfully empty of all of the supplies it had previously carried) and then maneuver the carriage back on to the road. 

"It's been an exciting few days," Jun told her brother as she lifted her bag into the back of the carriage. "I am anxious to return to civilization, however." 

"I don't blame you," he replied with a somewhat wistful laugh. "I'd guess that I have some time before I'll join you though." 

She paused a moment and then looked directly at him with a glance that reminded him for a fleeting moment of their mother. "Take care of yourself," she said then in a motherly tone. "Try not to get yourself killed." 

"Who me?" he joked, shrugging. "Don't worry." 

"Ah, but I will anyway," she answered, and climbed into the back of the wagon, Alraumon following behind her. 

"You know, something occurred to me last night," Taichi commented as he climbed into the wagon behind his partner. "I left the two of you in charge. And then you both came here…" 

"Yes," Sora replied, taking his hand and climbing in after him. "We weren't about to let you go crazy alone." 

"But…" 

"Don't worry, everything's fine at home," Yamato interrupted, waving his hand dismissively. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"It means that everything is fine," he repeated. "Just trust me." 

"I know better than to do that," Taichi retorted. "Who exactly is now running things?" 

There was a moment of silence. Sora and Yamato exchanged glances. "You tell him," Yamato said, turning and walking around the cabin toward the front of wagon so he could begin anew his battle with the Monochromon. 

Sora hesitated a moment before she answered: "Mimi." 

"Mimi?" Taichi blinked. "Mimi?" 

"She'll do a fine job, you know," Sora tried to reassure him. "She didn't have much to do anyway, she was looking for some sort of purpose; we all were." 

"Mimi." He sighed heavily. "If there are any flowers where there weren't before…." 

"It'll be fine, trust me." 

"Oh, I do. You, I trust. It's Mimi I'm worried about. Hey! What are you waiting for? Let's get moving!" he shouted to Yamato. The Monochromon slowly began to walk forward, and as the carriage rolled out of sight the others could hear Sora continually trying to reassure Taichi of the safety of the kingdom. 

***

"And so…" Hikari sighed, watching as the carriage disappeared from view. She let her statement beginning trail off into nothing and wrapped her arms around herself for warmth. 

"So…?" Miyako questioned. The other simply shrugged. 

"So…quiet," Takeru said, speaking softly in the silence, as though he was afraid speaking would disrupt something vital. 

Iori cleared his throat. "We do have a reason for being here," he reminded them. "Would it not be best if we tried to decide what to do next?" 

Daisuke nodded, agreeing with his statement. He folded his arms across his chest and turned his head in the direction of the forest which lead to the desert – to the territory of the enemy. "But where do we start?" he questioned. "We don't have a plan." 

Takeru was also in agreement. "We've never had a plan before," he recalled. "Just – go in and do what we can. If we had some idea of what to do…" He trailed off, uncertain of where he was leading this. 

Miyako spoke up. "I think perhaps I can find his base," she reported. 

"That's right," Hikari nodded. "The spell. Do you think you can find it again?" 

"I think I can _try_," she answered cautiously. "I can make no guarantees of that." 

"It's a place to start," Iori noted, pleased with the direction they'd finally managed to obtain. A boy who operated well within a structure, Iori was most happy when he had a purpose and a goal and a way of reaching his goal. 

***

A few supplies needed to be gathered. No one knew for certain how long this latest venture into the desert would take – or where it would lead them. Miyako speculated that the base she'd sensed Ken retreating to was at least half a day's walk away, possibly further. It was decided that each person would carry as little as possible, but it was also necessary for them to be prepared. 

A spare change of clothes was packed, as well as a small amount of food. If necessary, they could find some fish or fruits within the forest, but it would be difficult this time of year, and no one was willing to risk starvation. Miyako took her most useful book of spells, knowing she might need any of them in case of an emergency, which was likely to happen. After a quick planning discussion of which way to head, the group of five set out into the woods, leaving Koushiro and Jyou behind, waving good luck. 

***

Iori had brought his own book along, a flat sketchbook so that he could draw a map as he walked. He had discussed his plans with Koushiro, and both hoped that if their travels were mapped out they could learn more about the strange territory. Koushiro had also urged Miyako to be on the lookout for the source of the magic which caused the unnatural border. 

It wasn't long before they reached the edge of the forest, and all decided to rest briefly before they began the trek across the wasteland. Miyako peered out across the shifting sands for some time and tried to sense the magic, but got only a vague sensation. Sighing with frustration, she removed her winter cloak and set her bag on the ground. 

"Miyako? What are you doing?" Takeru questioned as she turned and marched back toward the woods. 

"I can't see anything from down here," she answered. "I've got to get up higher." She stopped directly in front of a large tree. 

Hawkmon sighed and slapped one wing to his forehead, shaking his head. He sat down wearily on the sand. "One day," he muttered softly. "One day she'll break a leg and then she won't climb trees any longer."   
"Hawkmon, stop sounding like my mother," Miyako scolded him from some distance away without looking in his direction. Her partner merely rolled his eyes and sighed, having learned the hard way it was useless to argue with Miyako. Instead, he took to the air and flapped into the upper branches of the tree to wait. 

"Eh – are you sure that's a good idea?" Daisuke questioned, glancing up at the tall tree. "Maybe one of us should go instead." 

"Brilliant idea," she retorted sarcastically, gripping one of the lower branches and pulling herself up on to it. "Can you sense magic? Because without that, it's pretty useless to climb up, you know?" 

Daisuke shrugged and glanced helplessly toward the other members of his group, as if to say that he'd tried and now she was on her own. 

"Well, yes," Iori admitted. "But maybe someone should go _with_ you, for safety?" He glanced meaningfully toward Daisuke as he spoke. 

Miyako, now perched on the first branch of the tree, shook her head. "No, I can handle it myself." 

"He has a point, Miyako," Hikari agreed. "That tree looks fairly dangerous. Climb up with her, Daisuke."

"Me?" Daisuke echoed. "Why me?" 

"Can you climb a tree?" Iori asked. 

"Yes," he admitted. "But…."

"Well, I can't. So you'll have to." Iori smiled, looking a bit pleased with himself. 

Daisuke looked toward Takeru, who merely grinned and stepped aside to make way. "Oh all right," he grumbled, walking toward the tree. "I don't see how it will help, though…." 

"Hurry up!" Miyako called, already two branches higher than she'd been before. "I haven't got all day." 

He gripped the lowest branch and pulled himself up with relative ease, grumbling to himself as he did so. V-mon peered skyward, toward his partner. "Try not to fall," he advised, pleased that he would be staying on the ground. 

A short while later, Miyako emerged at the top of the tree, poking her head out into the tepid air and pausing to catch her breath. Hawkmon perched a few branches away, still with a nervous but knowing expression on his face, as though he was both dreading and expecting his partner to fall so that he could say "I told you so." 

"I'm not going to fall," Miyako stated, apparently reading his thoughts again. It was obvious they'd had this discussion many times before. 

"That's good. It's a long way down," Daisuke commented, emerging on the branch beside her a moment later. Their heads both peered over the canopy of leaves. "I can't even see the bottom." He looked down toward his feet, and saw only sparse leaves, and bare branches below him. 

Miyako looked down and saw, for a brief second, a flash of the magic currents that ran through the air before they cleared away and she too saw only a maze of wooden tree limbs below. "It _is_ high up," she admitted, turning away from the ground. It was possibly the first civil comment she'd made to him since they'd returned from the last battle in the desert, and he was caught off guard for a moment. 

There was a moment of silence as both relaxed, catching their breaths from the strenuous climb up. Daisuke peered overhead and saw a few clouds floating over head, but the sky was otherwise totally clear. He turned back toward the wilderness and saw a nearly endless field of treetops covering the land. He turned his head and saw then that they stopped with the tree they were now seated in and then there was only sand…and empty space. 

"It's so…empty," he whispered, afraid of breaking the silence. "Why would anyone want to claim such an empty space?" 

"It's not totally empty," Miyako contradicted, but her voice held a little less of the biting sting than it had before. "There's life there, I can sense it." She sighed. 

Daisuke turned away from the sand to watch her face for a moment as she peered out over the wasteland. Sensing his gaze, Miyako bit her lower lip to control the tears that she knew wouldn't be too far away if she let them come. She shut her eyes and tried to sense the magic instead. 

_'She's really hurt,' _ Daisuke realized suddenly, and felt stupid for not noticing it before. _'How could I have been so dense? I saw how she was around Ken, I know how she must have felt about him! How could I have thought this would be easy for her? Or me?'_  He felt as though he should say something, and struggled for a few moments to find the right words before he finally blurted: "You were right." 

The silence broken again, Miyako opened her eyes and turned to him, confusion written on her face. "What?" 

"You were right," he repeated, and then in a rush of emotional explanation, he continued: "You were right about it being hard. To fight Ken, I mean. I guess I thought it wouldn't be, but it was." He turned away from her and looked out at the sands, but he didn't want to look that way either. He looked toward the trees instead. 

_'Is that an apology?'_ Miyako wondered, dumbstruck for a moment and unable to find words. "Thanks," she finally said, though it seemed somewhat hollow and inappropriate. "But you were right, actually." 

"What?" Surprised by this response, Daisuke turned back to her. "How?" 

Miyako took a deep breath and shut her eyes, trying to focus on sensing the magic of the boundary again. "You were right about fighting him. It's not abandoning him. It's keeping ourselves alive." As she spoke, she was able to sense the magic more and more strongly. "I didn't _want_ to fight him, and I'd do anything to avoid it. But if we're going to free all those innocent digimon then it's what we _have_ to do, whether we want to or not." 

Nodding his understanding, Daisuke responded: "Even if it's hard." There was another silence as they both contemplated, and for the first time understood, what the other was saying. "Do you sense anything?" he asked after some time had passed. 

"Yes," she answered. "But nothing that tells me anything. It feels ancient, and different. Almost like…." 

"Almost like what?" he asked when she didn't continue. 

Miyako shook her head. "Nothing. Let's get down." She turned and lowered one foot down to the branch directly below her, stepping down carefully. 

"Do you want me to go first?" he questioned, climbing slowly behind her. 

"I can handle trees myself," she retorted, lowering herself to the next branch. "I've only been climbing them since I was a child. And I've never yet gotten hurt." 

"All right, then." He followed a branch behind her, paying careful attention to each move that both of them made, knowing that somehow he would be to blame if either of them made any miscalculation and plunged to the ground. 

"I'm always having the same argument with Hawkmon," Miyako continued as she sat down on the branch on which she stood and gripped a higher one with her hands. "He's always afraid I'll fall and I never do. He's almost like my mother." She stretched her foot toward the branch below and touched it with her foot. 

"Well, he is your partner. They're supposed to protect us," Daisuke reminded her, watching from above. 

"Yes, from large enemy digimon," Miyako agreed. "But from trees?" She swung her second leg to meet with the first one and then gripped the branch above her with both hands. 

Suddenly, a piece of still partially frozen branch in colder parts of the forest broke off and crashed violently to the ground, disrupting the previously silent and peaceful atmosphere and startling both of them. Miyako lost her footing, and her feet slid backward along the branch and then off it completely. She gasped, but managed to hold back a scream of surprise, and was grateful she was still holding on to the branch securely. Daisuke fell backwards, but was protected from falling further by a branch behind him. He slammed backwards into it violently, and waved his arms for balance. 

"What was that?" he demanded. 

"Branch fell, I think," Miyako answered, trying to catch her breath. She swung her legs toward the branch they'd previously been standing on, but they wouldn't connect. 

"Are you all right?" he asked, pushing himself back to a sitting position and rubbing his back with one hand. "Ow." 

"I think so," she answered, swinging her legs again. Still no connection to the branch. "Um, remember how Iori wanted you to come up this tree to help me?" 

"Eh…yes," he replied hesitantly, climbing over a branch so that he could see her better. He pushed another, thinner branch out of his way and spotted Miyako hanging perilously from a not-so-stable branch, unable to regain footing. 

"Well, I think I might need some of that help after all." 

***

Finally! This section was half-written two weeks ago and then I decided it wasn't working and rewrote it. Twice! During finals week! Augh! And then I write this version, which is much better than the other two, in, like, two hours! Augh! ::bangs head in frustration:: Ah well, not much happened in this chapter, for all the time I spent on writing it…Sorry again for the delay! I promise the next chapter will be up soon. I'm done with school for the summer, and I'm so far VERY bored. Of course, I have to get a job, but anyway…. Positive thoughts! 

This chapter was mostly one of those annoying transition thingies. Can't have people fighting ALL the time, you know. They have to occasionally take breaks to sleep. So there are these transitions where nothing really happens except that they sit around and talk about what WILL happen. 

Next chapter, I promise, will not only be out sooner, but will also have MUCH more action. Those of you who read details might be able to tell what's coming up, but for those of you who don't, I'm not telling! HAHA! … Oh, all right, a few hints… The next chapter will explore more about Miyako and what she's feeling and some other stuff... I'm not giving away anything else!

Thanks for all the reading and the reviewing and the sending of nice comments. Till next chapter, Ja ne! Later! ^_^ ::Waves!::


	16. The Battle for Purity

In the Dark

Part Fifteen: The Battle for Purity

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingy: Digimon belongs to not me. Characters, concepts, etc, are the property of a bunch of companies which do not employ me. This plot, however, belongs to me, although some parts borrow heavily from the original. I am only borrowing everything, and I'm getting no monetary compensation (read: money) from the writing of this story. Darn it. Don't steal, don't sue. Enjoy!

***

Hikari looked up toward the top of the tree again, a worried expression on her face. "I do hope they haven't killed each other yet," she said with a sigh. 

Takeru shook his head. "Too quiet," he disagreed. "We'd hear it if they were fighting." 

"Would we?" V-mon questioned, doubtful. "It _is_ awfully high up." 

Before any of the others could respond to this statement, there was an unexpectedly loud sound which startled all of them. 

"What was that?" Hikari wondered nervously, looking out into the empty woods. 

"Sounded like a falling branch," Iori replied, tilting his head to the side. "Maybe one that was frozen." 

"Heavy with ice," Armadimon agreed, nodding simply. 

Tailmon was tense, listening with her sensitive ears to the stillness of the forest. Far off, she could hear a rustling in the foliage. "Do you hear footsteps?" 

Patamon raised his own large ears. "I hear leaves," he answered after a moment. 

Suddenly there was another thunderous crashing sound, and this time the ground shook beneath them. Caught off balance, Takeru fell sideways into the tree. There was a pause, and then another rumbling crash shook the forest. 

"I think I hear those footsteps you were talking about," Armadimon commented, safe because he was low to the ground. 

"Where are they coming from?" Takeru asked, attempting to regain stability. Another crash made that increasingly difficult. 

"Over there!" Tailmon pointed in one direction. 

"No, that way!" Patamon disagreed. He left the perilous perch that was his partner's head and hovered in mid air, looking in the opposite direction. 

"I'd guess that way," Hikari said then, pointing in a third direction. Another crash made all three of them turn in opposite directions, and made Takeru fall to the ground once more. 

Iori realized what was happening. "It's coming from all sides!" he cried. "We're surrounded!" 

***

Hawkmon heaved a knowing sigh from his perch of safety a few branches higher than his partner, and shook his head. "I knew it would happen eventually."

"I didn't fall!" Miyako retorted. "I just slipped because that crash startled me. If that hadn't happened then everything would be fine." 

"Save the argument for later," Daisuke advised, ascending to another branch and pulling himself above Miyako, who was still holding on to one limb with both hands and dangling perilously above the ground. "After we're on the ground again." 

"Where are you going?" she asked, watching as he climbed above her. "Aren't you going to help me?" 

"I'm getting there," he answered, more serene than she because he wasn't hanging on to a branch some great distance above the ground with a smug-looking partner perched nearby. He climbed to another branch, and then another, and a few moments later he was standing near the branch she was holding. He gripped Miyako's wrists with his hands, and wrapping his legs safely around the trunk of the tree, pulled her upwards on to the branch. A few moments later, she was sitting safely beside him. 

Miyako took a few deep breaths, soothing herself and trying to get her heart to beat steadily again. "Thanks," she said, still gasping for air after the stressful and strenuous experience she'd just been through. 

"No problem," Daisuke responded, relaxed and secure now. Then there was a loud, thundering crash, and the tree shook violently. 

Miyako gasped, gulped back another scream, and gripped the trunk of the tree with both hands. "_What_ was that?" she demanded. 

Hawkmon was alarmed now. He let go of his perch and flapped into the air. "I suspect something more serious than before," he commented. "I'll see if I might be able to see anything." 

"I have this feeling that we shouldn't be in this tree anymore," Daisuke commented, having also grabbed tightly hold of the trunk of the tree. There was another shake, and Miyako bit her lower lip. 

"See anything, Hawkmon?" she called loudly instead of screaming. 

"Nothing yet," her partner answered calmly, flying higher up. There was another crash, and then another. 

Miyako felt her hands loose their grip and she wobbled back and forth on the branch. She shut her eyes, feeling dizzy, and tried not to look down toward the endless expanse of branches through which would be the ground…tried not to think about how far she would have to fall in order to hit the ground again…and how much it would hurt when that happened. There was another crash, and then she couldn't hold it in any longer, and screamed aloud, squeezing her eyes shut tighter than before. 

"I'd guess that those are footsteps," Daisuke noted somewhere between the earth shaking, still remarkably calm. "We've got to get out of this tree."

"I'm not moving," Miyako answered quickly. She opened her eyes briefly, and another tremor coursed through the tree. She shut them again. "Not moving!" she repeated loudly, as though she was trying to convince whatever was causing the trembling. "Not letting go of this branch!" 

"If we stay in this tree, we'll fall," Daisuke returned. "We've got to get to the ground…," he paused to wait for another rumbling footstep to pass, "…because on the ground we won't have anywhere to fall to." 

"But we'll fall on the way down!" Miyako answered, opening her eyes again. "I don't want anyone to have to tell my parents, 'Sorry, but she died falling out of a tree!'"

"If we get to the ground, then we won't fall." 

"_You_ climb down._ I'm _not moving. The first thing out of my mother's mouth will be, 'I told her not to climb trees. I told her she'd fall. She never listened. And _now_ look what happened.'"

"Stop that! We're _not_ going to die!" Daisuke shouted, exasperated. There was another shake. "We've got to get to the ground before whatever is making those footsteps gets here!"

***

The half of the group that was safely on the ground was trying to remain safe. The footsteps – that was what they were certain was responsible for the loud rumbling and shaking – were getting closer, but it was impossible to tell from which direction they were coming. Each of the three thought they sensed the noise coming from a different direction. And, most startling of all, they could see nothing but trees. 

"Woody Smash!" a voice shouted suddenly, breaking the tense silence between steps. A tree branch crashed down to the ground, narrowly missing the three Chosen. 

"That's why!" Iori realized quickly. "The trees are attacking us!"

"The trees?" Takeru echoed, confused. "How?"

"Not trees," Patamon explained. "Woodmon. They look like trees, but Woodmon are actually plant digimon." Peering into the maze of tree branches, Takeru thought he could make out a few red-glowing eyes. 

"Controlled?" he questioned. 

"Either that or they really don't like us," Armadimon noted. "Shall I?" 

Iori nodded. "Digimental up!" he called, and for a moment the bright light of his digivice caused the trees to hesitate slightly. 

"Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" The small yellow digimon was replaced with a larger digimon; one who was much better equipped to handle a few attacking trees. "Big Crack!" he called, placing the drills of his nose and arms on to the ground. A fissure appeared in the ground, causing another mild earthquake and shaking the trees on their roots. 

"Be careful!" Iori warned his partner, pointing to the tree that Miyako and Daisuke still inhabited. 

Takeru was watching the surrounding trees, wondering which were simply innocent plants and which were their enemy. He could see a few red eyes in the darkness beyond the edge of the clearing they stood in, but no clear shape of their attacker. 

"Woody Smash!" one shouted without warning, and then one of the trees seemed to reach out a branch and throw it to the ground. Takeru narrowly avoided the attack, and saw, for a brief moment, the outline of the attacking Woodmon.

"I see it!" he shouted, falling backwards to the ground while trying to dodge at the same time. He raised his right hand, in which was enclosed his digivice. "Digimental up!" 

"I'm on it!" Patamon declared. "Patamon armor evolve! Pegasmon!" This Woodmon was barely stunned by the light of the digimental, and swung his wide branch again in the direction of the newly evolved Pegasmon. 

Takeru hauled himself to his feet in the brief moment the Woodmon took to prepare his attack and climbed easily onto his partner's back. 

"Woody Smash!" the Woodmon growled, swinging its branches. 

Pegasmon spread his wings and a split-second later was off the ground, having easily avoided the attack. "Shooting Star!" he shouted, firing back and managing to stun his attacker more seriously. 

Digmon, meanwhile, had taken a less earth-shaking approach to fighting the other attackers. "Gold Rush!" he called, firing his drills into the trees and smashing a few branches. Several Woodmon cried out in pain. 

***

The footsteps appeared to have quieted down, and Miyako was beginning to calm as well. Daisuke thought that perhaps he was getting closer to talking her into climbing down the tree, but she decided it was best to stay until Hawkmon had returned. Suddenly, a bright light appeared to try to make its way through the dense brush, flaring up suddenly and then dimming. "I think someone may have evolved," he noted. 

Just as they were both beginning to breathe easier, the ground shook violently, though this time without the thunderous crash. "Earthquake?" Miyako asked, partially returning to her frantic state. 

"Just what we needed," Daisuke sighed, trying not to lose his balance. He looked down at the ground, trying to see if he could make out anything that was happening below, but saw only a mass of branches, as before. 

Miyako was trying to breathe as calmly as possible so that she might better sense some sort of magic. "I didn't sense anything dark approaching before," she said, frowning. 

"Do you now?" 

"Faintly," she answered, shutting her eyes and trying desperately to concentrate. "But I can't be sure. This whole place is covered with dark magic." 

There was a rustling in the branches above and Hawkmon floated in through the canopy. "I see nothing above," he reported. "But I think there might be some sort of battle happening below." 

"All the more reason to get down there and help out," Daisuke agreed, starting to descend. "Coming?" 

Halfway down the tree, both climbers paused and noticed another bright light surround them. This time they were certain it was another evolution. Miyako reached instinctively for her digivice, but knew there was no space for Hawkmon to evolve there. "We've got to hurry," she said instead, and quickly climbed down another branch. 

"I agree," Daisuke replied, "but that might be difficult." He gestured to the area they next had to climb through. In the process of the fight, many branches had been knocked down. The trunk was mostly bare, only a few branches protruding from the many stem of the tree. It would be nearly impossible for them to make their way down the rest of the tree. 

"Woody Smash!" came a shout, and then another branch seemed to crash into the side of the tree, violently shaking them. 

"I think we might get down faster than we wanted to!" Miyako shouted, panicking. 

"What _was_ that?" Daisuke demanded, not really expecting a response. 

"I've no idea," Hawkmon replied from his perch a few branches above them. "But I'd guess _that_ is what they are fighting." He frowned in thought. 

"Well, someone should tell him not to pick on helpless targets," Miyako retorted as though the creature could hear her response. 

"Woody Smash!" the shout echoed again, the attacker apparently not interested in Miyako's thoughts on the matter. 

"Gold Rush!" another shout rang out, and this time there was no mistaking the source. 

"Theory tested and proven true," Hawkmon observed simply. 

Miyako was frustrated. "All these trees," she muttered. "Even if we _were_ on the ground it would be nearly impossible for you to fight," she commented to her partner. "Not fair. Just when I feel like fighting again, I can't." 

Daisuke had been silent because he was trying to formulate a plan. Unfortunately, neither he nor Miyako had carried anything up with them, which meant the idea of using any thing to escape was hopeless. He was fairly certain that no magic Miyako had previously used would assist them, and he wasn't eager to ask her to try anything new. As climbing down unassisted was next to impossible, he decided the only option would be to ask for assistance. 

"Hawkmon," he said abruptly, interrupting the bird's attempts to console his partner. "Do you think you could get to the ground?" 

Hawkmon glanced toward the ground and immediately performed a few mental calculations and scenarios within his head. "Without a doubt," he answered proudly. "I got _up_ here on my own, after all." 

Daisuke nodded, having expected, and hoped for, such a response. "Do you think you could do so, and bring us back a rope?" 

"A rope?" Miyako echoed. 

"We can't get down on our own," he explained. "And I didn't bring any supplies with me. But if we had a rope – ." 

"We wouldn't have a problem," she finished, understanding. "Can you do it, Hawkmon?" 

"I don't see why not," he answered, preparing to take off. "I shall return." With that, he was gone. 

"Woody Smash!" rang out, and again the two in the tree braced for impact. When none came, they assumed that this time the attack was not meant for them. 

"Shooting Star!" Pegasmon replied. 

"Woody Smash!" returned the opponent. The quick exchange of attacks obviously indicated that the battle was moving along quickly. Miyako and Daisuke listened for the return attack, but heard only a crash of branches. 

***

V-mon glanced up toward the tree his partner was in for the tenth time in as many seconds. He sighed. One of the most exciting battles in some time, and of course, he couldn't participate. He'd barely even been able to try that new evolution yet. 

Hikari debated whether to try to focus her energy on keeping herself and V-mon safe or if she should evolve Tailmon and help out. She was still thinking it over when she heard a shout from nearby. 

"Woody Smash!" the Woodmon shouted again, but now there were two of them, and they were shouting in unison. 

"Shooting Star!" Pegasmon shouted, still safe from their attacks while hovering a few feet above ground. One of the Woodmon was dazed slightly, and paused in his attack, but the other merely swung its branches again. 

"Woody Smash!" it shouted, and this time it aimed higher, and stretched its branches further. The whip-like limbs found their target this time and Pegasmon, still in the air, was flung into the trees nearby, Takeru still on his back. Both cried out, flying across the small clearing and crashing through several levels of underbrush before smashing into a tree. 

Takeru sat up a moment later, rubbing his head, but his partner had been too badly injured and reverted to Patamon. Both groaned painfully. 

"I guess we haven't a choice," Hikari noted with a sympathetic wince, and lifted her digivice from the pocket of her skirt. "Digimental up!" 

Tailmon nodded with determination. "Time to even things out," she agreed. "Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!" 

"Hawkmon!" V-mon called, waving toward the flying digimon who was just now making his way out of the tree, flapping hurriedly to try to avoid the battle. 

"What's going on up there?" Hikari asked, turning away from the battle her partner had just entered. 

"There seems to be a bit of a problem," Hawkmon answered calmly. "I've been sent for assistance. We'll need a rope." 

"A rope?" V-mon echoed, nodded, and then went to rummage through one of the packs for just such an object.

"Are they hurt?" Hikari questioned, observing with some relief that the request had not been for any sort of medical supplies or bandages. 

"No, no. No damage," he replied. "Just a bit of a difficulty in returning to the ground."  
"Good," she nodded. "We've enough injured here." She turned to see Takeru slowly making his way from the trees, holding his head and limping slightly, a few small twigs lodged in the fabric of his clothes. 

V-mon returned a moment later with the rope and passed it to Hawkmon, who immediately took off, promising to return shortly. 

"Remind me next time to try to land in something softer," Takeru groaned as he collapsed to the ground. Hikari looked closely at his face, noting a bit of blood between the fingers of his hand. 

"Is it bad?" she asked, a concerned expression on her face. 

"Is it bleeding?" he returned, answering the question with a question as he removed his hand from his forehead. A small trickle of blood had appeared where a sharp branch had made contact with his skin. 

"Not badly," she answered, and searched for a bandage. 

"That's the worst of it, I think, then," Takeru replied to the first question. "Other than that, just bruises. Trees do not make good landing places."   
Patamon was not hurt, only tired, and feeling badly for himself because of their defeat. "I'm sorry," he said. "I should have dodged faster." 

"It's all right," his partner assured him. "We'll get them next time." 

There was just then a sound coming from the tree nearby, and a single line of rope dropped from the upper branches, ending just above the ground. It shook for a few moments, and then Miyako dropped out of the tree. "That's it," she declared. "I'm not climbing any more trees unless they're near my own house." 

Takeru shook his head. "Not willing to give up entirely, then?" he asked. 

"Not a chance," she answered, and then turned to examine the battles that were happening around her. Nefertimon was still busy with the two Woodmon that had managed to throw Takeru and Pegasmon into the woods, and Digmon and Iori were concentrating on two others. She frowned. "Not good odds," she observed. 

"They _were_ better before I went flying into the forest," Takeru answered, touching the bandage Hikari had just affixed to his head with tender fingers. 

"I don't doubt it. I heard that crash," Miyako replied with a sympathetic shake of the head. "I'm surprised you're not more badly injured." 

"I'll survive," he answered cheerfully. "I always do." 

Just as he had finished talking, Daisuke dropped out of the tree, and then Hawkmon appeared a moment later, having retrieved the rope from the branches. "Good to be on solid ground again," he commented as soon as he felt the dirt beneath his feet. 

"Don't stand there talking," Takeru scolded. "Hurry up and save us all!" He had decided to accept his injury and thus was playing the overdramatic part of the injured. 

"We are sort of outnumbered," Hikari agreed, rolling up the bandage to return to the bag she'd taken it from while still keeping an eye on her own partner, who so far appeared to be having better luck than Takeru and Pegasmon had experienced. 

"The problem is that whenever she manages to free one of the Woodmon, another appears," Patamon observed. He'd been watching Nefertimon do battle with the enemy trees. "I would not be surprised if there are many more within the forest."   
Daisuke looked expectantly at his partner. "Ready?" he asked. V-mon nodded with a grin, eager to enter the battle. "Digimental up!" 

"V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!" 

"Woody Smash!" called one of the Woodmon, swinging its limbs toward Nefertimon. 

"Curse of Queen!" Nefertimon returned, aiming directly for the dark ring she could see visible upon one of its lower branches. The attack bounced back, having only slightly damaged the object of control. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted, pleased to be finally involved in the battle. Woodmon being composed of a rather flammable material, the dark ring disintegrated in one violent fireball. 

"About time you arrived," Nefertimon scolded, avoiding the Woodmon attacks. "Just watch out for those branches. They pack quite a punch." 

***

Miyako sighed as she watched the battle happen, feeling a bit left out because, of course, Holsmon would be nearly useless fighting close to the ground in this enclosed forest. She sat on the ground, leaning up against the tree she had so recently climbed down from, and watched as the others watched the battle with interest. With little to do in this battle, she felt helpless, and realized that if she were on her own she would have been in serious danger. 

With little else to do, she decided to do the only thing that she _could_ do that no one else could. She shut her eyes and tried to focus her magical senses. She saw the obvious dark magic emanating from the empowered dark spirals that surrounded the Woodmon, but they had a certain darkness underneath which she assumed was because they were virus digimon. Viral digimon sometimes had a darker quality to them, and the dark spirals were apparently enhancing this inherent darkness and focusing it in a direction. The spirals, which had apparently replaced the rings as the Kaiser's main form of controlling his subjects, were more powerful than the rings had been, and Miyako wondered how it was that she had not sensed the Woodmon before they had attacked. 

_'Maybe Koushiro was correct,'_ she thought grimly. _'I rely too much on my vision and not enough on sensing the magic. And then maybe the rings also have some manner of shielding themselves and making themselves appear much less powerful.' _ She mulled over this point for a few moments while still keeping a watch on the battle, and tried to focus her magical senses outward without using her vision to rely on. As she did this, she could sense the dark magic much more clearly, and then she sensed something else, something that wasn't dark, in the distance. 

At almost the exact time, there was a loud sound emanating from her digivice. In almost perfect unison, the others detected the sound and turned toward her. 

"Another digimental?" Iori guessed. Miyako lifted the small box from her pocket and peered at it, a small blinking dot in the center of it. 

"It looks that way…," she answered hesitantly. "But – …."

"Go, then," Hikari advised. "If it's your digivice that sensed it, then it must be your digimental." 

"I'll go with you," Takeru offered, standing up. "Seeing as how I've already been knocked out." 

***

Sora frowned, peering out over the expanse of empty land from the balcony. It was too quiet here at the palace, and she was acutely aware of those that were missing. In the distance she could see the beginnings of construction, and people hard at work, but within the walls of the palace, the silence was deafening. 

The door behind her opened unexpectedly, and Mimi stepped out. As was often Mimi's habit, she had put great thought into her outfit for the day. Today found her dressed in a pale pink gown trimmed with a darker rose color and a matching shawl around her  "Sora?" she asked hesitantly as she stepped on to the terrace. 

"Hello, Mimi," Sora answered. "Am I needed for something? I just wanted to think for a bit." 

The other girl shook her head. "No, no. I'm sorry if I've disturbed you. I only wanted to talk." 

"I'm not disturbed. Did you want to go inside?" 

"No, let's stay out here in the fresh air," Mimi answered. "You've seemed quiet these past few days. Are you feeling well?" 

"I'm just concerned, that's all," she replied, leaning on the railing and peering out at the snow-covered lawns. "I've never felt so helpless, so useless." 

"So alone?" 

"Sometimes," she admitted. "I'm used to having Miyako close by. To have her so far from here is…well it's odd. And she's in danger. Oh, I know that she can take care of herself. She does have her magic, after all, and isn't a child any longer. But still…." 

"We all worry about our loved ones," Mimi agreed with a knowing tone, a wistful expression on her face. "But – perhaps there's a loved one _here_, within this very palace, that you should also concern yourself with?" 

Sora felt her face grow warm. She examined her toes for a moment. "I don't wish to be a bother," she murmured in a very soft voice. 

Mimi sighed as though she were a mother or a teacher gently correcting a pupil. "Sora, Sora," she said, gently scolding in her tone. "If it is love, it is never a bother." She frowned thoughtfully for a moment. "You may have the crest of Aijou, but it would seem you still have much to learn about love." 

***

Miyako felt guilty as she and Takeru left the scene of the battle, but there was little that could be done. She focused on the blinking dot that had appeared on her digivice, and concentrated on following it to her digimental. "I think that I sensed something other than dark magic nearby recently," she recalled and she walked. "I think that might possibly be my digimental." 

"There's magic in the digimentals?" Takeru asked. 

"Of course," Patamon replied, scolding his partner. "What did you think they were?" 

"I don't know," he admitted, frowning in thought. "I never really thought about it." 

"They're a different sort of magic," Miyako explained. "If I remember correctly, the crests and digimentals contain the magical energy necessary to evolve our partners higher, and we can use them simply because we have the correct traits and can focus the energy in the correct direction – that is, toward our partners." 

Takeru suddenly paused in his walking, and then had to hurry to catch up with Miyako again, who was already a few steps ahead and hadn't noticed he'd stopped. "Does that mean that the spells that Koushiro found – the ancient ones used to evolve the digimon- were a similar type of magic?" 

Miyako looked toward him and tilted her head slightly, thinking. "I would guess that they are the same magic…," she answered hesitantly. "Perhaps whoever – or whatever – is responsible for the creation of the digimentals harnessed the magic and contained it within the objects." She shook her head, an expression of reverence on her face. "That would have to have been powerful magic, though." 

"Very powerful," he agreed, understanding enough of what she said to know that it was awe-inspiring. He thought for a few moments, and they continued walking in silence, until Hawkmon broke the silence by asking: 

"How far is it to this digimental?" 

"Not far," his partner replied. "I can sense it fairly strongly." 

A few moments later they emerged into a small clearing, where a building – built entirely with stone bricks – stood in the center of the clearing, a pond of water behind it. This section of the woods was halfway between the coldest, snow-covered section and the heat of the desert, and so the climate was temperate. Miyako tried to sense the digimental but could not determine its exact location. 

"What do you suppose that hut is for?" Patamon questioned. 

"I don't know," Takeru answered. "Maybe we should see?" 

"I don't know if that's the wisest course of action," Hawkmon warned hesitantly, but Takeru didn't see any harm in it and so walked up to the door and rapped upon it with his knuckles. Miyako ignored this activity and instead tried to focus on locating her digimental. 

The door opened a moment later, and an egg-shaped digimon emerged. "What do you want?" he demanded, catching Takeru completely off guard. "I am closed. Don't you see the sign?" 

"Sign?" Takeru echoed vaguely. 

"Yes. Sign. I am closed. Go away," the digimon snapped, and slammed the door shut, a sign appearing on the doorknob as he did so. 

"Digitamamon's Inn," Patamon read. "Closed due to…unforeseen circumstances?" 

"Well, he is operating in rather unsafe territory," Takeru conceded. "I suspect controlled digimon don't very often stop by an inn." 

"I _know_ it's here somewhere; I can sense it, I can detect it," Miyako held up her digivice. "But I don't see it!" 

"It's got to be around somewhere," Hawkmon assured her. "We'll help you look." 

For the next few moments, all four searched the area around the Digitamamon's Inn, scanning the ground and the nearby trees for signs of a digimental, but with little success. Suddenly, the door to the Inn opened again, and this time Digitamamon stepped all the way out, his eyes narrowing beneath his shell. 

"I told you I am closed," he stated bluntly. "If you would please leave the premises." It was not a question. 

"Sorry," Miyako apologized politely as possible. "I'm just looking for something that I need. As soon as I find it, I'll be out of your way." 

"No. This is my land, this is my Inn. You must leave. Now!" 

"Hey, wait," Takeru interrupted, hoping to ease the tensions. 

"I am not interested in negotiations," Digitamamon answered harshly. "Leave now or else." 

"We'll be gone in just a few moments," Patamon tried.

"Enough talk!" Digitamamon shouted, interrupting the bargaining. "Nightmare Syndrome!" A mass of some sort of black liquid gas began to spill out of his shell, turning the air black and filling the area with a sort of darkness. It was aimed directly for Takeru and Patamon. 

"What the - ?" Takeru questioned, confused. Suddenly, he was surrounded by the dark mass, unable to see anything else. A pounding vibration filled his skull, and thoughts became impossible. 

***

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted, and the last dark spiral on the last Woodmon disintegrated, leaving the confused tree to slink back into the dark forest. 

"Finally," Daisuke stated, breathing a sigh of relief as his partner de-evolved. 

"It's a good thing you finally got here," Iori noted. "We were greatly outnumbered." 

"What took so long, anyway?" Tailmon questioned, having also de-evolved. 

"Have _you_ tried climbing down a tree when the ground is shaking?" Daisuke questioned, shaking his head. "It's not exactly an inviting situation." 

Hikari was looking around. "Speaking of situations, Takeru and Miyako haven't returned. I hope they haven't gotten into any trouble." 

Tailmon sighed pessimistically. "Probably, knowing our luck," she answered. 

V-mon rubbed his stomach. "Can we eat soon?" he asked.

Armadimon was also hungry after the latest evolution and battle. "Some food sounds good right now," he agreed. 

"As soon as we find the others," Iori promised his partner. "Let's follow them. Which way did they go?"   
"This way, I think," Hikari answered, pointing. 

Unexpectedly, the silence was broken by what could definitely be considered a bloodcurdling scream. Without further conversation, they all followed the sound. 

***

Miyako watched in stunned horror as the black substance surrounded Takeru, nearly suffocating him. She cringed at the sound of his screams, and then turned to the one responsible. 

"You jerk!" she shouted, unable to control her anger any longer. "What was that for? We said we'd be out of here in a moment, we weren't hurting your precious land! Why did you have to go and do that?" 

Digitamamon was so surprised that he stopped his attack and the blackness began to dissipate. He narrowed his eyes again toward Miyako. "Impertinent wench," he muttered. 

"I'd rather be impertinent than cruel!" she snapped back. "We tried to be nice to you and you just attack him like that?" She gestured toward Takeru, who was still holding his head as though it were about to explode. "That's it. I'm not going to be nice to anyone who does that. Forget manners!" 

At that last statement, there was a glowing from behind her, and the loose soil near her feet began to move. Slowly, the egg-shaped digimental rose from the ground. It was a pale green-yellow with a four-pointed star on the bottom and the symbol of purity on the side. Miyako reached out and lifted it from the soil before it had finished emerging. She raised it above her head with a triumphant expression.

"See? Didn't hurt your precious land! Hawkmon! Let's teach some manners! Digimental up!" 

Hawkmon, who was a little taken aback by his partner's sudden show of fury and anger, simply nodded. "Hawkmon armor evolve! Shurimon!" 

The bird-like digimon transformed into his newest evolution, a bipedal creature with four-pointed stars as feet and hands. A cloth was wrapped about his face, making only his eyes visible, and the rest of his body was covered with a loose green cloth the color the digimental had been, in the traditional style of the ninja. 

"Ha! Worthy opponent you are not!" Digitamamon scoffed. "Nightmare Syndrome!" This time the dark attack was aimed directly towards Miyako. She forgot her fury for a brief moment so that she might be afraid, but there was no need. 

Shurimon moved faster than the wind. Within the blink of an eye he had gripped Miyako's waist and transported her quickly to the other side of the clearing near Takeru. Before she had time to recover from the journey, her partner had returned to the scene of the battle on the opposite side of the building. The attack hit no one and nothing but a tree, and then merely dissipated in the air, leaving the tree unharmed. 

"Kusanagi!" Shurimon called, attacking his opponent for the first time. The four-pointed star attached to his right arm flung itself into the shell of Digitamamon, and then the left star as well. Miyako was surprised to note that the stars were attached to Shurimon's body with long springs, and that after the attack, they simply rebounded into his body once more. 

Digitamamon was unharmed by the attack, however. The shell was far too tough for the stars to have any real effect upon him. He laughed simply. "As I said. You cannot defeat me." He seemed to sense that he wouldn't be able to hit anything with his own attack, however, and so quickly withdrew himself into his shell, so that he appeared to be only a large egg. 

Miyako, entranced by the battle as she was, tried as well to help Takeru, who appeared to be returning to the real world at least partially. He opened his eyes, but they were had the expression of one who has undergone a lot of pain and anguish, and is possibly still feeling some of it. He still held his head in his hands, and spoke not at all except to moan slightly. Patamon peered up at his partner with a worried expression, but could do little to help. 

"Miyako!" a voice called from somewhere behind her, and then she turned to see Hikari, Daisuke, and Iori emerging with their partners into the clearing from the edge of the forest. 

"What happened?" Hikari asked, kneeling beside Takeru as Iori searched through the bags for some medical supplies that might be of help. 

"He's not hurt, I don't think," Miyako answered, and explained as best she could about Digitamamon's attack. "I think it might just be some sort of mental anguish." 

Hikari understood immediately. "Do we have any water?" she questioned, and Iori immediately produced a canteen, which she then coaxed the boy to drink. 

"My head…," Takeru muttered after he'd sipped a bit of the water. "There's this pounding…." He groaned slightly. 

Meanwhile, Shurimon was still trying to break Digitamamon's shell, though not with much success. He'd pounded it endlessly with his stars and tried repeatedly to dent it somewhat, but his opponent's defense seemed to be impenetrable. 

"It doesn't seem to be working!" he called helplessly to Miyako. 

Armadimon shook his head with a sigh. "I'm not surprised," he commented. "Digitamamon's a perfection level digimon. It's very difficult to defeat him." 

Miyako groaned. "Just my luck to pick an invulnerable opponent," she sighed. "Well, I don't care. He deserves to be punished somehow. That attack was completely unprovoked and just plain cruel." She clenched one hand into a fist and glared angrily at the giant egg. 

Shurimon paused his attacks and shook his head helplessly. It's not working," he stated simply, shrugging. Digitamamon opened his eyes, which glowed for a moment from beneath the shell. He laughed to himself in a soft voice. 

With the same lightning fast moves he'd used before, Shurimon spun round quickly. "Kusanagi!" he shouted, and one of his four-pointed stars flew quickly in the direction of the egg digimon. Before Miyako could completely grasp what had happened, Digitamamon was screaming loudly and Shurimon had de-evolved to Hawkmon. 

"My eye! My eye!" Digitamamon shouted. "Oh, why did you have to do that!?" He'd released himself from his egg, his legs reappearing, and now he was running about wildly with one eye shut. 

Miyako winced. "Why _did_ you have to –  ?" she asked Hawkmon, but a sound from Digitamamon's direction interrupted her. A few sparks flew from the inside of his shell, and then there was a hissing sound as the dark spiral within his shell was deleted. "A dark spiral. I should have guessed." 

"Dark spiral, nothing," Digitamamon scolded, having ceased his running about for the moment and stood in front of Miyako, glaring at her with his good eye. "Why you have to poke out my eye?" 

Feeling badly now that her anger was dissipating, Miyako apologized. "I'm sorry," she said. "It was you that attacked us, and I was angry because you were so irrational about your land." 

"Irrational nothing!" Digitamamon answered sharply. "You are on my land! You are trespassing! You must get off!" 

The fury Miyako had felt returned as quickly as it had dispersed, and she put both hands on her hips and reproached Digitamamon for his own rudeness. "I just freed you from the dark spiral!" she told him. "You should be _thanking _me, you ungrateful egg! I wasn't hurting your land, I was only searching for my digimental." She turned on her heel. "See if I ever eat or stay at such an Inn. No wonder you're closed you must never have had any customers to begin with. I know I wouldn't stay here!" She stormed away from him then, leaving the egg digimon to grumble under his breath about impertinent little girls as he returned inside his inn. 

Through the entire argument, the others had simply stared at Miyako, watching the argument. Even Takeru forgot the pain in his head and watched the battle with bewildered stillness. They continued to gape at her as she stormed off into the woods, Hawkmon following behind her with the air of someone who was quite glad to be on her side. 

"Well," Takeru said in the stunned silence which followed. "Remind me not to get in an argument with her." 

***

Done! I've managed to finish an action-filled chapter and I've not gone insane! Yes! Well…I was insane already, but….

As promised, this chapter gave you two battles for the price of one! What will happen next? I'm not telling! ^_^

Next chapter coming soon, I promise. 

Thanks for reading, reviewing, and saying nice things! Till next time! ::waves:: ^_^


	17. Enter the Swamp of Death?

In the Dark 

Part Seventeen: Enter the Swamp of Death?

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: All characters and some plot lines are borrowed from their original owners, whose names I can't spell very well because they're in Japanese. Heh. Complete disregard is felt for the American owners, so from them I am stealing and altering back to their semi-original states. Okay, so they're a _bit_ altered. So there. At any rate, most of the plot is mine. Don't steal, Don't sue, and Enjoy! 

***

Takeru slept fitfully, bothered by dreams and the uncomfortable circumstance of sleeping on the ground. The remaining needed cots had not been built yet, and he had refused several offers to take on of those that were built. When he awoke, it was mid-morning. His head was pounding and his back was aching, though with somewhat less intensity than the evening before. He was glad they'd decided to return to the cabin for the night then, because he felt rather sick to his stomach. He vaguely remembered some sort of nightmare he'd had during his sleep, but he couldn't recall any details. 

He realized as he pulled himself to his feet – slowly so that he wouldn't further aggravate his sore muscles – that he was the only one remaining in the small room made of blankets hanging from the rafters and so established that he had slept later than the others. He made his way to the trunk with his clothes and began to dress, shivering in the cold air and half wishing that they had camped out in the warmer sections of the forest even if there were enemies there. 

Takeru remembered the day before and the battles and he understood that he had been allowed to sleep late because of what had happened to him. He'd probably been one of the more prevailing reasons why they'd trekked back to the cabin even though they'd planned the outing to be more long-term. He still felt pain in his head, though now it was a dull, constant ache where before it had been a pounding, head-splitting pain. First he'd been thrown into he bushes and managed to bang his head painfully into a tree, and then he'd been attacked by Digitamamon's Nightmare Syndrome attack – which had only increased the pain tenfold. 

He didn't think he'd ever forget the raging nightmarish images flying at him from the dark cloud that surrounded him. Each of his deepest fears played out before his eyes – Angemon's deletion recalled a thousand times, the death of his brother, of his parents, of his closest friends, his home burning while he could do nothing to stop it. He shivered and pulled his shirt over his head. 

"No point in dwelling on it," he said aloud, as though it would drive away the memories. "None of it was real." 

Patamon watched him curiously from the pile of blankets they'd slept on. "None of what?" he asked. 

Takeru shrugged lightly. "Just dreams," he answered. "That's all." He put on his most optimistic grin and stepped out through the curtains. 

***

Iori had spread a large piece of parchment across the table-like structure assembled in the communal area of the cabin, and was marking at it with a piece of charcoal. Koushiro was aiding in the process, examining the notes the younger boy had made on a pad and commenting on this, while at the same time doing his usual research in the books he'd brought with him. 

It had begun to snow lightly outside, adding to the accumulation already on the ground, and so for once the cabin was filled with all its regular inhabitants. Miyako sat up on one of the rafters, her liking for climbing apparently not too badly dampened by the disastrous experience of the day before, and was studying her latest spell book with some vigor. Jyou was bent over a ledger and using a pen and a bottle of ink to scribble within. He was determined to keep careful account of each and every herb, medicine, and bandage that had been delivered to the cabin, and this had somehow been transformed into a very long and extensive procedure that took up most of his time. 

Hikari also was engaged in writing something, and she'd chosen to sit on the ground near the stove, using a pillow as a seat and a crate ordinarily used for sitting as a desk. She was engaged completely in the activity and appeared oblivious to the rest of world. The only one who wasn't engaged in some productive but sedentary activity was Daisuke, who was made restless by the snow and hanging about in the rafters, doing nothing in particular but moving about a bit. 

Takeru emerged from his late sleep and spent several moments unnoticed by the rest of the room. He stepped around the table and Iori's project, which he could tell now was the beginnings of a map, although it contained little actual information at this point. He noted the pot on the stove and saw that it was filled with the still-warm leftovers of the morning meal. He located a clean, unused bowl on the shelves his brother had helped build near the stove and went to work ladling himself some of it for himself. Then he turned and searched for a place to sit. The table was out of the question, being covered with papers. He thought for a moment and then decided to adopt Hikari's strategy, and seated himself near her and the wall and set the bowl on the floor. 

"Feeling better?" a voice questioned from above him, and he noted Daisuke, still hanging in the rafters, looking down at him. The only one not engaged in something, he must have noticed Takeru the moment he entered. 

"Yeah," he said between gulps of his breakfast. 

And then he didn't get a chance to say anymore because Koushiro let out a triumphant shout that he usually only used when he had discovered something. All eyes turned to him, but he said nothing more about his shout, and all returned to their own respective activity or inactivity after a short period of time. 

"I suppose the snow sort of puts a halt on our plans for the moment?" Takeru asked then when the silence had been restored. 

"For the moment," Daisuke agreed with a frown, shifting position and swinging to another rafter. "Sure wish it wasn't winter." 

"How soon do you think we'll get out there again?" 

He shrugged. "Who knows." 

"Koushiro says he thinks the snow may be over before the end of the day," Hikari said, finally setting down her pen and looking up. "But he can't be certain. He says weather predicting isn't his forte." 

***

The snow continued until the sun had gone down, and then it began to gradually lessen. The supply of firewood needed to keep the cabin warm was, unfortunately, slowly diminishing, and so, shortly before the evening meal would be prepared and more wood was required, Daisuke and Takeru decided to gather more from the outdoor woodpile, which was stored next to the cabin, under an overhanging roof built to keep it dry from the snow. Their volunteering was really more of a desire to escape the cabin.

The night was silent, anything which could have made noise having been buried under the snow. It was also dark, because the clouds that had brought the snow had not yet drifted away. Daisuke and Takeru wrapped in their warmest clothes and forced the door open. 

The snow came to just below their knees, and it was tightly packed around the door, transforming the mere task of exiting the cabin into a long and difficult adventure. They hadn't managed to bring shovels to the cabin, so there was nothing to use to move the snow away. Finally, a few buckets were used to scoop the snow, and then both resorted to kicking at the fluffy white stuff with their feet in order to try to forge a path. 

After they'd gotten out of the cabin, they needed to get to the woodpile, which was only a few footsteps away. They each took sticks from the remaining wood inside and dipped them into the already burning fires. Then they used the torches to melt a path, having decided that kicking and scooping would take too long.  

They made it to the woodpile without too much further trouble and were soon busy with carrying the wood back to the cabin. The outside pile, thanks to the snow and the cold, was already beginning to deplete. 

"Maybe we ought to get more wood," Takeru suggested, looking at the smaller pile outside the cabin. 

"In the dark?" Patamon asked, perched safely on his partner's head. 

"What if this doesn't last until morning?" he returned. "What if there's more snow in the night and then it's even harder to get out tomorrow?" 

"I'm not sure it's a good idea," Patamon disagreed. "What if we get lost in the dark?" 

Daisuke held up the burning torch they'd used for their path-making and grinned. "We won't as long as we keep one of these on hand," he answered. 

And so they both traipsed off into the woods in the dark of night, leaving the cabin behind them. Takeru carried an axe over his right shoulder and a burning torch in his left hand. Patamon rode safely upon his head.  Daisuke carried the same, and V-mon pushed through the snow behind him, finding walking difficult in snow that was as deep as he was tall. 

***

Hikari and Miyako decided to work together to prepare the evening meal for several reasons. The first was that, although Jyou had been doing an adequate job with the cooking, he wasn't spectacular, and they wanted something else. They also needed something to do. And the reason for their pairing was, quite simply, that Miyako wasn't a very good cook, and Hikari was a bit better. So they determined that Hikari would plan and delegate, and Miyako would stick to things that were the least likely to cause an explosion. 

Miyako's inability to work wonders in a kitchen had been one of her mother's chief worries about her youngest daughter. Marrying required, quite simply, that someone do the cooking, and unless Miyako were to marry into a quite wealthy family and have many chefs and servants for this purpose, she would most likely be the one responsible.  However the various attempts Lady Inoue made to try to teach her daughter how to operate a stove had resulted in considerable damage to the household kitchen, and so, for reasons of the health and safety of the entire kingdom, she'd abandoned the attempt. 

And so it was that Hikari set Miyako to work with the somewhat less dangerous task of cutting vegetables. Although this involved the use of a knife, it was less dangerous because it did _not_ involve the use of a flame. With some trepidation, Hikari set a plate of vegetables in front of her and advised her of the proper way to use the sharp object. Miyako seemed to grasp the concept fairly easily, and was soon chopping and slicing away. 

Iori, who wanted to help as well, was set to work cleaning and cutting the fish, simply because it was a job that he could do, and that Hikari was not certain she could. Koushiro and Jyou both wisely sat in the corner, out of the way, their noses buried in their books. Hikari herself set about trying to figure out exactly what it was she was cooking. 

By the time she'd figured out that they would have some rice – of which there was plenty – with the meal and had began to plan in more detail, Miyako had finished chopping most of the vegetables and Iori had finished with the de-boning of the fish. All three were so busy they didn't even notice that the steady in and out motion of Daisuke and Takeru carrying wood had ceased. 

***

The silence of the night was broken only occasionally by the sounds of grunting and of a sharp blade connecting solidly with the trunk of a tree. Patamon watched from a safe nearby tree branch as Takeru slammed the blade of his axe into a tree again and again. 

Since they'd determined that it was impossible to both cut the wood and hold a burning branch, Daisuke stood nearby, observing, and holding both torches while Takeru chopped. There had been some disagreement over who was to chop and who was to hold, both wanting to chop because it would be the first actual physical activity they'd experienced all day. In the end, this dispute, like so many others, was ended with the flip of a coin. It was decided that Takeru would first chop, and then they would switch places. 

The eerie silence beyond the chopping sounds was making them all nervous, though none wanted to admit it. Daisuke held one torch close to the trunk of the tree so that Takeru could see what he was hitting, and the other at arm's length away from him, wanting to keep at bay whatever dangerous creatures might be lurking. He could almost swear he heard footsteps swiftly moving in the snow. 

He was so intently listening for further sounds that he hardly noticed when Takeru finally finished with the tree chopping and the massive trunk was prepared to fall. He stood, listening to the sounds in the forest as the tree began to creak and drop. 

"Daisuke!" Takeru warned, and grabbed his arm to pull him away from the place of danger. 

Shaken from his reverie, Daisuke turned toward Takeru, who was looking toward the tree, and then, seeing the tree, took a step away from it to avoid the falling timber. Takeru slipped in the snow and, because he was still holding Daisuke's arm, he too fell into the soft snow, dropping both their torches as he did so. 

With a soft hiss, the snow extinguished both flames, plunging the boys, their partners, and the rest of the forest into darkness. For a moment, no one moved. 

"This could be bad," Daisuke said aloud. 

There was a loud crash as the tree fell to the ground nearby. Unable to see where it landed, everyone instinctively covered their heads. 

Takeru climbed to his feet, nearly tripping over Daisuke, and looked around. "I can't see anything…," he said hesitantly. 

"Yeah," V-mon said from somewhere nearby. "This is bad." 

"Anyone know which way it is back to the cabin?" Daisuke asked, trying to climb to his feet as well and slipping in the wet and frozen snow. 

"Even if I did know, how would I tell you?" Takeru pointed out. 

Patamon sighed, and his voice came from somewhere overhead. "I knew this was a bad idea." 

***

The food was nearly finished cooking, and the smell of the it drifted through the cabin. Hikari expected someone to comment on the scent of it, or to ask how long until they could eat, but no one did. 

Miyako sighed contentedly. "I didn't realize how hungry I was until just this minute." 

Iori was busy setting the plates out on the makeshift table. "I've felt hungry ever since food was mentioned," he admitted, glancing around the cabin interior so he could count how many settings to prepare. 

Gradually, Hikari became aware that something appeared to be missing. She looked around. Miyako sat at the table, content with the scent of the approaching meal. Koushiro and Jyou were both still engrossed in their books, hardly noticing the rest of the world. Iori was setting the table. 

She turned toward the door, where the small pile of wood stored inside had been steadily growing. It was a bit larger now than she remembered it, but still…. A few moments passed, and then she realized what was absent. 

***

"I think it's this way," Daisuke said, pointing. 

"Which way?" Takeru asked, unable to see anything. "You see what I'm saying? Even if I knew which way it was back to the cabin, how are we to find that way?" 

"Well we won't find it if we just stand here," he returned. "We should start walking." 

"And then what? Hope we crash into the cabin? It has no windows. How will we find it if we can't see it?" 

"If we stand here all night, we'll freeze to death." 

There was a momentary silence as they reached an impasse. Frustrated, they both paused to think. A branch cracked in the distance. A soft sound was heard in the snow. 

"Footsteps," Patamon warned, his ears tuned that direction immediately. There was silence. A moment passed. Then, from the completely opposite direction, another sound. 

"We've been watched," V-mon stated dully. "Probably surrounded now." 

There was another squishy sound in the distance. "Yeah, definitely surrounded," Daisuke agreed. 

"What now?" Takeru wondered. "How are we supposed to defend ourselves against something we can't see?" 

***

Iori frowned at the door. "Yeah, it has been awhile," she agreed. "Should we go look for them?" 

"And miss the food?" Miyako complained. "Their loss." 

"What if they're in danger?" Hawkmon scolded. Miyako sulked. 

"Well, they can't stay out all night," Hikari said, worry evident in her voice now. "They'll freeze if they don't come back soon." 

"Should we go find them, then?" Tailmon asked, looking up at her partner. 

"I think we should," Iori stated. "There could be real danger." 

***

"Digimental up!" 

"V-mon armor evolve! Fladramon!" 

For a moment, the darkness was broken by a blinding light which flashed brighter than a flash of lightning. In the midst of this light, Takeru thought he could see a few small shapes hovering the forest, quickly darting away once they'd realized they were spotted. Then the light ceased, and the suffocating darkness returned full force. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon shouted, aiming his attack toward the fallen tree. Immediately, the fire spread and the trunk was engulfed in leaping flames, lighting the forest again. In the leaping flames, they glanced around, but whatever had been making the footsteps had slinked away in the light. 

"Cowards," Patamon mumbled. "Must be pretty weak." 

"Do you hear footsteps?" Takeru questioned. Patamon raised his ears, listening intently for a moment, and then he shook his head. 

"Then they haven't retreated," Daisuke agreed. There was silence then as everyone tried to sense the sound of footsteps. "If they're controlled, they wouldn't retreat that easily." 

"Should we go after them?" Fladramon wondered. 

Takeru shook his head. "We'd better not. It's late, it's dark, and it's cold. We should just go back and sleep for the night." 

Daisuke disagreed. "What if they're waiting for us to go back to the cabin, and then they attack us all there?"

A cold wind blew gently through the snow-covered silence of the forest, causing the flames of the fire to jump and flicker. 

***

The breeze fluttered through Miyako's hair, through her skirts, past her ankles and then dissipated behind her. She shivered slightly and opened her eyes.   
  


"See anything?" Hikari questioned, hugging herself to keep warm. 

"They're not far," she answered. "But I do believe they're surrounded."

"By what?" Iori questioned. 

"Can't tell. Too dark. Something that's not on our side, though." 

Tailmon sighed. "Of course. Can't be surrounded by anything _friendly._"

***

The silence was broken by an odd shuffling/hopping sound, and then there was the sound of something being thrown through the air at a great speed. Something crashed into the ground at the edge of the forest, but they couldn't tell what it was. 

"Ayaaaaaaaah!" something shouted from within the woods behind them, and then Takeru felt something slam into the back of his neck. It was cold and hard, but not too painful. Something ice-cold trickled down his back. 

"Snow?" he questioned, reaching for his neck. His gloved hand was wet now. "They're throwing _snow_ at us?" 

Patamon shrugged. "It's available, isn't it?" 

Suddenly, from out of the forest, came a barrage of snowball fire. Dozens of wet blobs of snow came from every direction, most of them finding their targets. Daisuke and Takeru were pelted with the fast moving missiles, and searched for some place to take cover. There was none.

"This doesn't seem fair!" Takeru protested. 

"I don't think they're trying to play fair!" Patamon pointed out. 

"Fire Rocket!" Fladramon called, blasting several of the snow balls in mid-air and turning them into melted balls of water which fell uselessly to the ground. There were too many for him to handle all at once. 

"Don't worry about the snowballs," Daisuke scolded. "Go after whoever's throwing them!"   
"Right," his partner nodded, and aimed his next attack at the trees instead. "Fire Rocket!" 

"Can't I help?" Patamon asked, half whining and looking toward his partner. 

Takeru had already raised his digivice above his head. "Digimental Up!" 

***

"I hear _something_," Iori commented, head cocked slightly, concentrating on the sounds of the forest. "But it's so far away I can't tell what it is. Or how far it is." 

"Can you see anything, Hawkmon?" Miyako questioned, looking skyward. 

"Not much except trees and snow," her partner replied, hovering above her. 

"If only there were something we could _see_," Hikari sighed, frustrated.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light that lit the forest for a split second and then faded as soon as it had appeared. 

"You mean like that?" Tailmon asked. 

***

"Anyone for retreating?" Takeru questioned, wiping the snow out of his hair. Their attempts to destroy the snowballs' point of origin had failed because the snowballs took the brunt of the attacks and protected the ones throwing them. What's more, the attacks were also aimed at the fire that provided the only light in the area, and were gradually beginning to dampen the flame. 

"Retreat to _where?_" Daisuke retorted, surprising no one with his reluctance. "We're surrounded, remember?" 

"We can blast past them, can't we? We can't stay here for long, you know. Our partners will need to recharge but they won't run out of snow any time soon!"

"If they're comfortable in the snow, what are the chances that they're as agile and dangerous without snow?" 

Takeru shrugged. "Pretty slim, I'd guess. Are you saying we retreat to the desert?" 

"Think about it. In the desert, there's no snow. They won't have any snowballs. _And_, we'll be leading them away from the cabin." 

"You _do _have a point." 

"If we lead them back to the cabin, there's a chance it could be damaged. Destroyed, even. And, that's the direction of Primary Village, remember? We can't lead them that way. If you want to retreat, then let's retreat in the other direction."

***

"This is crazy," Hikari commented to Nefertimon as they soared through the bitter cold air, heading for the source of the light they'd seen. "We'll never find anything in the dark!" 

"I don't see anything," Nefertimon admitted, scanning the ground below. "Are we sure we're going in the right direction?" 

Hikari held her torch above her head. "I think so," she answered. "I can see Miyako and Iori ahead." A small, flickering flame that was Iori's torch was floating through the air ahead of them. 

"And _I_ see something _else_. Look down there." 

She turned and looked down, noticing a large, flickering flame below. "What _is_ that?" 

"I don't know. Looks like a burning tree." 

"Let's go closer," Hikari decided. "Miyako!" she shouted, loudly, trying to get her attention, but she and Iori had already flown out of hearing distance. 

"We'll find them later," Nefertimon assured her, swooping low in a wide arc.  A few moments later they landed beside the large burning tree. The flame was slowly dying, and the tree itself was mostly destroyed. Nefertimon de-evolved for better maneuverability below the trees.

"Looks like there was _someone_ here recently," Hikari noted, looking closely at the footprints which covered the ground. "I see boot prints. Do you think Takeru and Daisuke were here?" 

"That would be the obvious assumption," Tailmon answered. She was sniffing the air, trying to see if she could detect a scent, but her talents did not lie in her nose the way they did with Agumon. She tried to listen, but apparently whoever had been there had left, and their sounds were too far off. 

"They head that way." Hikari pointed off in the distance. 

***

Iori carried the torch in his hand as they flew along, somehow managing to keep the burning stick ablaze. He glanced back through the sky, eyes searching for Hikari's torch in the inky blackness. He saw nothing. 

"Miyako," he said quietly, tapping the girl on the shoulder. "I don't see them." 

"Nor do I, Iori," she sighed, still peering at the ground for signs of life. 

"No, I mean Hikari and Nefertimon. I don't see them." 

Miyako's head snapped back so quickly that he was afraid it might somehow snap off. "What?" 

"It could be that they're too far back," he continued. "But I don't see their torch behind us." 

Holsmon paused in mid-flight and turned to face the other direction. "I don't either," he concurred. 

"Should we turn back for them?" Armadimon wondered, a worried frown on his face. "What if they were attacked?" 

"And what if Daisuke and Takeru are in _more_ danger?" Iori pointed out. 

Miyako groaned. "We don't know where to begin searching for any of them!" 

***

They ran at top speed, crashing blindly through the snow-covered forest as they did so, trying their best to avoid the dark shapes that sprang out of nowhere and became trees. The clouds  were beginning to part overhead, and the snowstorm was over. A bit of moonlight filtered through the trees, making it possible to see shapes against the darkness. 

Takeru ran until he felt his lungs would burst and his legs would disconnect from his body and give up the chase in protest, lying on the ground and refusing to go on any longer. And then he ran some more. He could hear the shuffling movement in the trees behind them and knew that whatever had been attacking them was indeed following them. The splat of snowballs continued around them, along with some angry shouts. 

"Any – idea – what's – chasing us?" Daisuke asked, panting as he ran. 

"No!" Takeru answered simply. He could spare no lung power to say more. 

"I can't get a good look at them for long enough to see what they are," Pegasmon agreed, sounding strangely calm even as he ran alongside them, the trees and darkness having hampered his ability to fly. 

"How far is it to the desert?" Fladramon questioned. No one could see anything, but they _were_ aware that the temperature was slowly beginning to rise. 

***

"Whatever came this way was moving pretty fast," Tailmon observed. The snow here was deep, but dozens of footsteps crashing through the forest had left a very navigable trail. 

A slight breeze filtered through the trees and moved the clouds, adding a bit of light to the otherwise dark forest. Hikari held her torch above her head. "They're headed toward the desert, I think. Why would they go there?" 

***

The temperature had risen quite a bit. Miyako removed her gloves and stuffed them in the pocket of her jacket. "I think we've come too far," she sighed. The trees had slowly disappeared below and now she could see the light of their torch reflecting off the desert sand below. She looked up toward the sky and wished the sun would rise. 

In the distance, Iori thought he could hear something, and when he turned his head in that direction, he saw a bit of a light. "I think there's something over there." 

***

They'd been running for some time, and it was a surprise when Daisuke tripped over a rock and fell face first into some water. It was cold water, but not ice-cold like the snow, and there was no sand at his fingertips, only small, slimy-feeling plants. 

Takeru heard the splash in the darkness and stopped running. "Daisuke?" he asked, barely able to see. He squinted and made out a dark shape moving near the ground. 

There was a spluttering sound and then the dark shape moved a bit. "Water," he mumbled. "_Cold _ water." 

"What? That's not possible. We're a few weeks' journey from any ocean!"

"Well then it was my imagination that got me wet?" Daisuke retorted. He pulled himself to his feet. "We're not in the desert. There's no sand." 

"Great," Pegasmon said from somewhere in the darkness. "Now we're totally lost." 

"I don't hear those little creatures anymore," Fladramon observed. "Did we lose them?" 

"Maybe." Takeru reached down to his feet. "I don't feel snow. Only dirt and grass." 

"We could really use some light," Daisuke sighed. 

Fladramon located another tree. "Fire Rocket!" he shouted, and then the tree was aflame, lighting the entire area. 

***

Hikari followed the footsteps with caution for some time before she noticed that they had turned a bit. Now she wasn't certain where they were going, but she _was_ certain that it wasn't a direction she'd ever headed before. The snow was melting now and the temperature rising, but there was no sand, and she could see no clearing ahead where the desert began. 

"Which way do we go now?" she questioned. "The snow is gone and so is our trail." 

Tailmon shook her head. "Don't know," she answered. "This definitely isn't the desert." She cocked her head to the side. "Do you hear water?" 

In the darkness, there was a hissing voice. "Chosen…?"

Hikari froze. "Who's there?" she demanded, holding the burning torch in front of her. 

Suddenly, from nowhere, something flew at her and crashed into the rocks by her feet. There was a shout, and then several more projectiles crashed by her feet. Hikari glanced down and saw that some melting snow had accumulated. 

"Snow?" Tailmon asked with disbelief. "They're throwing snow?" 

"They mustn't have very much ammunition left. There's hardly any snow here, and any they do have will melt." Hikari raised the torch, trying to make out what was attacking her. "Who's there?" 

There was only an odd laughter, and then more snowballs flew toward her. Hikari stepped backwards, away from the snow-covered forest and towards the warmer sections. She heard a splashing sound in the distance and was struck suddenly with an almost paralyzing fear. 

"I see a light…," Tailmon said suddenly. And then there was a steady glow coming from deeper into the woods. 

***

The light that Iori had seen was visible even from across the desert. The sky had cleared now and the moonlight was faintly illuminating the vast wasteland. Miyako shivered in the cool of the night. "I don't like it here," she said, frowning. 

She, Iori, and Armadimon were soaring quickly over the empty sands, scanning the ground below. Iori still carried his torch in one hand. "We're too exposed," he agreed, a similar expression on his face. 

"We're heading closer to the forest now," Holsmon reported. "Do you want to head in that direction?" 

"I'm not sure," Miyako admitted. 

"Fly higher," Armadimon suggested. "Maybe we'll be able to see the light better." 

Holsmon complied, but looking back over the forest and toward the cabin revealed nothing but dark treetops for some distance. 

***

Thanks to Fladramon, the area was visible now, and they were able to see that Daisuke was standing in some shallow water. There was mud beneath his feet and a bit of mud on his face, the usual result of landing face first in mucky water. The edge of the water was difficult to determine exactly, only that it was someplace between Daisuke, standing in shin-deep water, and Takeru, who was standing on a dry rock. Some tall, reed-like plants filled the space, making the water itself difficult to see until, like Daisuke, one tripped and fell into it face first, at which point one became more acquainted with it then most people wanted to be. The whole area had the general atmosphere of a swamp. 

"Fabulous," Daisuke muttered grumpily, trying to clean some of the mud out from under his fingernails and failing miserably. "Now we're completely lost. I don't remember coming past water any other time." 

"I wonder where it leads to," Takeru wondered thoughtfully. "To a lake, a river? Or is it just a swamp?" 

Before Daisuke could remind him that now was possibly not the best time to be gathering further data for Iori's map project, the strange shuffling, hopping footsteps broke the silence. The creatures that had attacked them with snowballs earlier had apparently followed them after all. Both boys and their partners froze at the sound, not sure what to do. 

Suddenly, a voice could be heard over the soft shuffling footsteps. "Super Stinky Spray!"

There was no hesitation. There was no debate. There was no indecision. Immediately, both Takeru and Daisuke turned and ran, fast as their legs could carry them, away from the attack. They didn't know who was behind it, but they had a pretty good idea of what it would do. And so, they ran. Deeper into the marshy swamp. 

As they ran, the voice and a hundred others like it could be heard laughing with amusement. "Go that way, _Chosen_," the voice urged. "Enter the Swamp of Death. The serpent will kill you with ease." 

***

Erm. Yes. The Swamp of Death. Right brilliant, that is. ::sigh::

Anywho, that was the latest chapter. Again, not too terribly much happened, but there was suspense…right? At least that's what I was going for. Not sure if it worked. 

Next chapter promises much more happening. I'll try to have it out before school starts again – because then I'll have no time (as opposed to all the time I have now?) – but I make no promises. Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed. Later!


	18. The Bridge Leads To

In the Dark

Part Eighteen: The Bridge Leads To…

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: All of this is _mine!_ The plot, that is. The characters are property of Blahblahblah, Inc. and MegaGiant Company. Whatever. Don't bother suing me because I have free speech (only fifty cents a word) and I have no money to give you anyway. I work in a supermarket. It doesn't make that much, trust me. 

***

Feet crunched through the slushy snow. The trees were thick in this area of the forest, making running difficult. A pair of boots hurried, making slushy footprints that melted almost as soon as they formed. The air was too warm to support the newly fallen snow for very long. 

The sun was still hours away from the beginning of its daily trek across the sky, but the clouds that had brought the snow were parting and letting through glimpses of moonlight, allowing only a bit more visibility than before. 

Behind the pair of boots that thumped through the snow was a pair of more agile feline feet. Undaunted by the cold and unhindered by clunky shoes, Tailmon dashed behind her partner, glancing behind them every so often to see if she could get a better idea of what was following them. Snow crashed to the ground in their wake, but the lack of solid snow didn't seem to be deterring their pursuers. Even though the light was improving and Hikari still carried her torch, there was simply not enough light to get a good look at them. 

But then, she wasn't concerned with _what_ was chasing them, she was just trying to get away. 

***

"I see something below," Iori observed. "It looks like a burning tree." 

Miyako peered through the darkness. "I wonder what happened…."

"Looks serious," Armadimon commented. "Should we see what it's about?" 

"Already on it!" Holsmon answered as he began to fly lower to the ground. 

***

She emerged, breathless, in a clearing. A tree stood just to her right, separated from the rest of the forest. She noticed it for one reason only, and that was because it was ablaze.

"Do you think we might be on the right trail?" Tailmon questioned, a half-step behind her partner. 

"Possibly," Hikari agreed, looking around frantically. "But if this is where Takeru and Daisuke went, then, where are they now? Where have they gone?" 

Before Tailmon could produce a plausible theory, the shuffling sound behind them continued, and a few rocks fell to the ground at their feet. Whatever was chasing them had apparently realized that snow would no longer be an effective weapon. The ground had become softer, and Hikari was suddenly aware that her feet were becoming stuck in the mire and mud. The terrain was no longer frozen, in fact, it was swampy. She looked down and realized that the hem of her skirt was dragging in the water. 

"A swamp?" Tailmon wondered aloud, stepping back. She didn't particularly care for the water. 

A stone made contact with the water a few feet from them. It made a hollow, low sound as it crashed into the water and a splash as it plummeted under water. Tailmon reconsidered, stepping cautiously into the bog. 

Suddenly, there was a shout from over head. "There she is!" Iori's voice sounded through the dark sky. Hikari looked up and saw the form of a giant bird overhead. Holsmon sank lower to the earth, landing gently on what was still solid ground. 

"Where have you been?" Miyako questioned. "We were supposed to stick together, remember?" She slid off Holsmon and helped Iori and Armadimon to dismount before Holsmon de-evolved, tired from the long flight. 

"Yes, I know," Hikari answered, feeling slightly sheepish. "I thought I saw something below and I went to check it out. I tried to tell you but you were too far away." 

"We think that Daisuke and Takeru came this way," Tailmon added, pointing toward the burning tree. 

"That would be my conclusion as well," Iori agreed, observing the evidence. "But why did they come this way? And where did they go after they left?"

"We've been trying to figure that out." 

Another rock splashed a few feet away, and then, apparently deciding that they weren't going to be afraid of Holsmon, the rock throwing multiplied, and suddenly, a small barrage of rocks was being heaved into the swamp.

"Where's that coming from?" Miyako demanded, hiding behind a tree. "Who's doing that?" 

"We haven't been able to figure _that_ out either," Hikari admitted, crouching low to the ground and trying to ignore the mud that was now almost completely covering her. "They threw snow before, we weren't too concerned." 

"Well, now I think we might want to be concerned," Iori commented. 

"Should I do something?" Armadimon questioned. 

"Seems the best option," his partner conceded. "Digimental up!" 

"Armadimon armor evolve! Digmon!" A bright white light momentarily filled the area and then dissipated, revealing that the small armor-plated digimon had been replaced with a much larger one. "Big Crack!" 

There was a small but effective quaking of the earth that caused everyone in the area to momentarily lose balance. Hikari lost her small battle with the mud and sat down hard in the muck and mire. Miyako stumbled but managed to regain her balance, thanks to the solid ground beneath her own feet. The barrage of rocks stopped, and a few shouts of surprise and possible pain sounded from the dark expanse in the trees. 

"We haven't got time to spend on a fight," Hikari reminded them, pulling herself to her feet. "We have to find the others." She glanced toward Hawkmon. "Don't suppose you could fly any longer?" 

Hawkmon shook his head, sighing. "I don't believe I have the strength. We did miss dinner this evening, you remember."

"It's up to us then, Tailmon. Can you?"   
"I think I can manage. As long as we don't go too far." 

"I just want to fly overhead and see if we can spot anything. It won't take but a minute," Hikari assured her. "Digimental up!" 

"Tailmon armor evolve! Nefertimon!" 

"Wait!" Miyako interrupted as Hikari was climbing aboard her partner's back. "What do we do in the meantime?"   
"It won't take long," Hikari answered. "Keep your eyes open. Look for footprints. Try to figure out where they went. I'll be back before you know it." She waved and was gone, soaring toward the treetops. 

***

"Do you see that up ahead?" Takeru panted as they both ran through the swamp, slowed down by the thick mud beneath the shallow water. He pointed ahead of them. 

"I can't – see anything – it's too dark," Daisuke answered, a few steps behind him. He was really becoming tired from all the running. Fladramon had reverted to V-mon and so he had to carry the small digimon through the mud, which was too high to make running possible for him. 

"The moon's come out," Takeru answered. "It's bright enough. I think I see a bridge."   
They both paused in their running for a moment, and Daisuke squinted through the dark night to try to see what Takeru was referring to. Just as he thought he made out a dim shape, there was a sudden flash of bright light which dimmed quickly. In the instant that the light was bright enough, the bridge was as visible as if it were daylight. 

It was a treacherous looking bridge held together mostly by rope and built from loose pieces of wood. The wood was ancient, weatherworn, and most definitely not maintained. The rope, too, was frayed in many places, making it look as though it would barely hold a pebble, much less a living creature crossing on it. The origin of the bridge appeared to be somewhere on dry land, and the supports holding that end of it were held up with piles of rocks. The bridge meandered in curves deeper into the swamp, but before either could make out where it led to, the bright light faded, leaving Daisuke, Takeru, and their partners staring in confusion. 

***

Hikari landed with some disappointment on the ground once more. As soon as she had dismounted, Nefertimon reverted back to Tailmon, visibly tired. "Remind me not to skip meals anymore," she sighed.

"Sorry," Hikari apologized, frowning. "Didn't even see anything. Looks like the trail is cold." 

Iori emerged, Armadimon trailing behind him. "I don't know what was throwing the rocks, but it's gone now, I think," he reported. "At any rate, we're all too tired for a long battle."

"Sorry," Armadimon apologized, looking sheepish.

"It's not your fault," Hikari assured both Armadimon and Tailmon. "None of us have eaten in some time." 

Miyako appeared from the trees a short distance away. "I don't see any footprints," she stated. "I do, however, see a few strange markings that _might_ have been made by the…creatures that were following them. There's also something else…."

"Magic?" Iori asked. 

"No," Hawkmon answered. "A dead tree."   
"A dead tree?" Tailmon echoed skeptically. "Forgive me if I'm not shivering with fear." 

"Not an ordinary dead tree," Miyako corrected gently. "A wilted tree." 

"Wilted?" Hikari asked. "What do you mean? The leaves were wilted?" 

"No, the _whole_ _tree_ was wilted," Hawkmon replied. "Bent over like a flower deprived of water."

***

"That light…," Daisuke began. "Was it…?" 

"An evolution," Takeru answered. "Had to be."   
"But who? And where? And how?" 

"Close by, that's for sure." 

"But how?" 

Takeru shrugged. "I suppose it's possible that someone might have followed us," he admitted. 

Daisuke frowned, sighing. "We have been gone a while, haven't we?"  


"Yes." 

"And so they got worried…." 

"And came after us." 

"I wonder what caused the evolution?" 

"Maybe they encountered the same creatures we did?" 

"That's a possibility. Should we go back for them?" 

"Um…," Patamon interrupted from his perch on Takeru's head. After de-evolution, he had been too tired to even follow behind them from the air, so he'd resorted to his usual resting place atop his partner, which allowed him to rest and allowed Takeru to keep his arms free (and his head warm). He pointed behind Takeru.

In unison, Takeru and Daisuke both turned in the direction Patamon pointed. A few rocks splashed into the water near their feet. In the distance, just beyond the limits of visibility, a few dark shadows could be seen. 

"Looks like we haven't lost them!" Takeru gasped. "What now?" 

"Head for the bridge!" Daisuke responded, thinking of the first thing that came to his mind. He took off at a run in the direction where he'd last seen the bridge, before the light of the evolution had faded and the dark night had swallowed it again. 

***

Without the threat of danger behind them and with some amount of exhaustion already beginning to take hold, Miyako, Hikari, Iori, and their partners followed the trail through the swamp at a much more leisurely pace. The warm night was beginning to lighten slightly, but the sun's rising was still some time away, and the air was cold and damp. Hikari shivered slightly under her mud and water soaked dress and tried to keep her eyes open even though exhaustion was fast approaching them all. As they walked on they listened carefully for sounds of someone up ahead. 

"Daisuke! Takeru?" Miyako called, but there was no answer. "I thought for certain we'd be closer to them by now." 

"Unless they're still running from whatever made that tree wilt," Iori answered. They spoke softly, voices barely whispers so they could listen constantly for a sound. 

Suddenly, Hikari paused in her walking, listening intently. "I thought I heard a splash." 

The others stopped and were silent for a moment. Tailmon shook her head. "I didn't hear anything," the keen-eared feline informed her partner. 

"I heard something, I know I did." 

"Are you sure it wasn't just – ," Miyako began, but before she could continue there was a loud crunching sound. 

***

Takeru peered down nervously at the board that had just broken under his foot. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" he asked, voice wavering. 

Daisuke was a few steps ahead of him on the bridge. "We don't really have another choice, do we?" he returned. "Unless you want to get hit by super stinky breath?"

"Not particularly," the other responded. "But I also don't really want to follow a bridge when I don't have any clue where it leads." 

"I know where it leads," Patamon spoke up. 

"Where?" V-mon questioned skeptically. 

"Away from the shore and across the lake." 

"Lake? What lake?" 

"The lake we're standing above." 

Takeru looked down through gap in the bridge. He could barely see in the dim light. A breeze blew through his hair and the clouds overhead shifted. The moonlight broke free in the sky and bathed the area in a soft glow. Below, he could see the water, a farther distance down than he had originally thought. For a moment, he felt dizzy with the height. He turned and looked back across the bridge, the shore nearly invisible in the mist. He looked forward, past Daisuke and towards the other end of the bridge, but could see nothing through the thick mist. Below the bridge, all around them, was water. 

"Where…is this?" he wondered.

"Are you coming or not?" Daisuke called from ahead of him, impatient. He'd continued walking and was now even further away from Takeru than before. 

"Daisuke! Wait!" Takeru cautioned, but the other didn't pause. 

"I think I can see the end," he reported instead. "It looks like some sort of stone building." 

***

Miyako could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she ran through the swamp. The water splashed at her feet, drenching her ankles. The damp, humid, warm air, made her feel light headed. She could flashes of magic coming from the trees and a dim darkness that surrounded the area. The moon had emerged, but the darkness of the magic that filled the area had not diminished. Miyako tried to focus on Hikari and Iori running ahead of her and to follow them. Seeing was difficult in the dark. 

Hikari and Iori both came abruptly to a stop and Miyako was glad to finally stop running. She breathed heavily for a few moments, trying to catch her breath, before she looked up to try to determine _why_ they had stopped. 

They'd emerged into a clearing, soft but still solid ground beneath their feet. Iori and Armadimon were carefully examining something on the ground that Miyako could not see clearly. Iori's torch had gone out sometime during the running, so the only light was from the sky. Hikari had noted two wooden poles sticking out from the ground at the water's edge and was trying to determine in the dim light what they were for. Miyako wished vainly she'd brought a magic book or a spell to make light. 

"These definitely are footprints," Iori reported. "Most likely they belong to Takeru and Daisuke. They also seem to lead in that direction…." He gestured toward the water. 

"I don't understand," Hawkmon answered with a thoughtful but still confused expression. "Did they go for a swim?" 

"Could these poles be connected to a bridge?" Hikari wondered. She felt the ropes which were tied to the poles. "If so then they went on the bridge." 

"But how'd they even know it was there?" Tailmon asked. "We nearly ran right past it in the dark. And where does it lead?" 

"If only my torch hadn't gone out," Iori sighed, waving the now useless stick in his hand. "I wish I had some tinder to make more fire. I don't think there's any suitable rocks around here." 

"And if there were, we wouldn't see them to find them anyway," Armadimon added.

"Fire," Miyako echoed, frowning in thought. "I think I can remember fire." 

"Are you sure you have the strength for magic right now?" Hawkmon questioned doubtfully. 

"I think so," she answered. "I'm hungry, but not too weak. I think I can manage the spell for fire, if I can remember it. I'll need some fresh, dry wood." 

***

Daisuke cautiously set his foot on the stone beneath the bridge. Then, he brought his other foot along to meet it. He waited a moment. Nothing happened. He took a step forward, and concluded happily that the stone was safe to stand on. He turned and waved toward Takeru. 

A breeze blew through the air, shifting the clouds again and dousing the dim light completely. Takeru hesitated. He felt for the next board in the bridge, and then for the stones beneath his feet. When he had finally escaped the bridge, he felt so exhausted that he sank down to a sitting position, relieved to have dry land. 

The other moved off a few steps, examining the rest the of the brick-stone area. Two steps from the end of the bridge was a wall. Two steps to the right was the edge of a doorway which was three steps wide. There was no door in the doorway. Beyond the threshold was darkness. 

"What is this place?" Daisuke wondered, his voice an awed whisper. V-mon shook his head, uncertain. 

Takeru braced himself against the stone wall and pulled himself to his feet. "Let's hope it's friendly, whatever it is." 

"Friendly greetings in enemy territory," Patamon sighed. "Not likely." 

"We don't even know where we are," V-mon pointed out. "It could be that this _isn't_ enemy territory any longer." 

"Then whose is it?" 

***

Iori had some difficulty finding dry wood so near to the swamplands, but he succeeded in finding a few small twigs and several larger branches that could serve as torches. At Miyako's instructions, he assembled the twigs into a pile and stood back. 

Miyako tried to remember what she had done the first time she had performed the fire spell. Koushiro had showed her the book and told her the meanings of the hand movements required. She shut her eyes and felt her own magic, basking in the awareness of her own aura for a short time. She was hungry and tired, but her magical strength was still fairly strong. She felt the strength of her magic restoring some of her slightly diminished physical strength, and then she focused. 

A small spark appeared on the twigs, then another, and then there was a blazing fire of a large size. The others jumped back slightly in surprise at the intensity of the fire and then dipped the branches into the blaze until they too were burning brightly. Without opening her eyes, for she could sense the fire without it, Miyako extinguished the fire and took the third torch from Iori. 

"Someone besides me had best go first," she said then, turning toward the bridge. "There's dark magic here and it clouds my vision so much that this torch isn't any good." 

"I'll go first," Iori offered. "You ought to go last in case anything follows us. Ready?" 

Both girls nodded in agreement. He stepped forward on to the first wooden step and Armadimon stepped cautiously behind him. "Seems sturdy enough," he reported. "Wait a few steps, and then follow."   
Hikari watched as Iori took three cautious, slow steps on to the bridge and made his way slowly forward along the bridge. Tailmon climbed on to her shoulders and clung tightly to her back. She was not afraid of falling, but she wasn't friendly with water, and that was what the bridge crossed over. 

Miyako waited until Hikari was another three steps into the bridge and then followed. Hawkmon flapped cautiously behind her, keeping one eye behind him on the lookout for danger. 

***

"So now what?" V-mon asked. "Are we stuck here?" 

"Of course not," his partner responded. "We can cross back across the bridge." 

"And back into what I think is pretty definitely enemy territory," Takeru added. 

"If we'd eaten, I could fly back across," Patamon sighed. He rested on his partner's head, ears flopped down at his sides the way they always did when he was exhausted. "Do you think there might be food inside?" 

"I'd guess it's possible," Takeru admitted. "But I don't think it's wise for us to go in there. It's also possible a monster could be in there." 

"Shall we wait to see what causes those lights then?" Daisuke pointed across the bridge. 

Takeru hesitated. "Maybe they're friendly?" 

"Maybe your monster inside is friendly." He gestured toward the open doorway. Takeru turned, saw the doorway, and shivered, feeling suddenly cold. A warm breeze blew across the water. The clouds shifted, but the lighting didn't improve. 

They stood at the edge of the bridge, staring and squinting into the darkness, trying to determine exactly what was coming toward them. 

"Perhaps we ought to shout?" V-mon asked. 

"Shout?" Patamon echoed. 

"Yes. Shout hello."

"What if they're not friendly?" 

"Well, then they'll shout back something nasty. Or they'll ignore the shout." 

"What if they just can't hear us and that's why they don't shout back?" 

"Let's find out," Daisuke suggested. He cupped a hand around his mouth, took a deep breath, and shouted out: "Hello? Who's there?" 

The lights stopped moving for a moment, as though hesitating what to do. V-mon was encouraged. "See? Scared them off." 

Another shout came back a second later, but the distance made the words indistinguishable. After a moment of hesitation, the lights resumed coming closer, ever slowly. A breeze blew again across the water and the clouds let in more of the moonlight. Shadowy shapes became visible moving across the bridge. They looked like human shapes carrying torches, which explained the lights.

"You don't think they followed us, do you?" Takeru questioned in disbelief. "All the way here?" 

"Why not? It's possible," Daisuke answered. He frowned in thought and peered out over the bridge. Takeru skeptically folded his arms and squinted in the darkness. 

"Hello?" a voice called across the bridge. 

"Hello!" Daisuke responded before Takeru could discourage him. "Hikari? Miyako? Iori?" 

There was another shout, but it was again garbled, though this time not because of the distance. A loud splash sounded in the water behind the stone building, causing a large wave that washed up on to the makeshift island, soaking the two boys and their partners taking shelter there. 

"What was that?" Takeru demanded, half frightened, half spurred to action. 

"Something _very_ big," Patamon answered, trying to shake the water out of his ears. 

"And probably not very friendly," V-mon added. 

There was a shout of exclamation from somewhere on the bridge. All four turned to see a large but indeterminate something crash into the water and another, equally large wave to wash over the figures on the bridge. Miraculously, the torches were not extinguished, but the figures moved back and forth as though distressed and shaken. Frantic shouts could be heard on the stone island, filled with disconnected words and phrases like "What was - ?" and "Not Safe!".

"We've got to do something," Daisuke declared with some urgency. "They'll be washed into the lake!"

"What should we do?" Takeru asked, skepticism gone. He'd recognized those voices, even if he hadn't heard the words. 

"Go after them!" Daisuke answered simply, jumping on to the bridge and bounding away, V-mon behind him a moment later. He was several steps on to the bridge before Takeru could react. 

"Are you crazy?" he demanded, aware that he was probably not going to be heard or listened to. He'd learned a long time ago that this was simply what Daisuke did and there was no stopping him. In this instance, however, he felt an overwhelming urgency. In this instance, all of them could easily be killed by whatever was in the lake. 

"I'm not standing here waiting for them to die!" Daisuke called back, easily ten more steps across the bridge before the sentence was complete.

Before Takeru could respond further or decide to follow, another large splash created an even larger wave, this time so great that he was knocked off his feet and on to the ground. He grabbed Patamon in his arms as the water washed over them and shut his eyes and mouth so as not to swallow any of it. He slid on the ground backwards into the stone building and the dimly light night disappeared, giving way to the complete darkness within the building. 

Daisuke was also knocked off his feet. He sat down hard on the bridge and instinctively grabbed the worn out ropes of the bridge with his hands. V-mon gripped tightly to his shirt and Daisuke tried frantically to keep hold of both the bridge and his partner. They slid along the slick, water-soaked wood to the edge of the bridge. The wave abated, Daisuke took a deep breath, and discovered that he was holding onto both his partner and the bridge with only a shaky grip. 

Below him was the dark, grimy, cold (and probably deep) water and a fairly large sea monster. 

Above him was a thin and fragile bridge which barely supported his weight. 

***

Takeru opened his eyes in to find himself in complete darkness. He opened his mouth and found that it was not water that surrounded him, but air, and so determined that it was safe for him to breathe. Doing so brought him some relief, but not much. "Patamon?" he asked. 

"I'm here, Takeru," his partner answered, still resting safely in his arms. "Wherever here is…." 

"I think we were knocked into the dark building," Takeru answered. He pulled himself to his feet but could see nothing. The darkness within the building was so thick that he couldn't even make out the doorway to the exit. "I don't know how to get out of here, though…."

Patamon was silent for a moment. "Maybe there's food," he thought wistfully. 

"If there is, I don't know where. I can't see anything. Can you?" 

"Nothing. Maybe if you found a wall, you could follow the wall to the exit." 

This seemed a reasonable suggestion. Takeru lifted Patamon up so his partner could rest on his head and then put both arms in front of him and took a few steps forward, trying to feel his way in the darkness for a wall. "I hope you know I feel like a fool doing this," he told his partner. "I could walk around in circles trying to find something to bump into – Ow!"

"Found something, did you?" Patamon's voice had a tinge of humor in it. He was trying not to laugh. 

***

Yeah, yeah. Chapter out before school starts. Sure, sure. It's now mid October…that's not _too _bad, is it? 

I promise there won't be as much of a wait next time. I said that last time, didn't I? Oh well. 

Stay tuned! Thanks for reading/reviewing! ^_^


	19. …Faith and Safety At Last

In the Dark

Part Nineteen: …Faith and Safety at last

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: All plot is [mostly] mine! All characters are not. They belong to Toei Animation. I'm borrowing them. I'm not giving them back until I'm done with them, which won't be for a long, long time.  So there. Enjoy the story.

***

Takeru groaned and rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand. Whatever he'd collided with was hard enough to hurt even after a few moments had passed. He reached out with his hand in the darkness and could feel the moist stones of the wall make contact with his fingertips. 

"Is it the wall?" Patamon asked. He'd retreated to a safer spot - hovering in the air - after Takeru collided face-first with the stone.

"That's what I'd guess," Takeru answered, feeling a little grumpy and grouchy after the incident. "Which way now?" 

***

The rope was slippery and slimy, the result of having been suspended over water for a very long time - perhaps years. Obtaining a secure handhold was nearly impossible. Daisuke tried to keep hold of the slippery lifeline but found it difficult with only one hand, the other holding tightly to his partner, who hung dangerously close to the murky depths.

"I - can't reach," Daisuke gasped, trying to grope for the wooden planks of the bridge. "Takeru? Are you there?" There was only silence. 

V-mon was trying to grab for something else. He'd tried for his partner's leg and his shirt and had so far only succeeded in making their safety all the more jeopardized. "If I could just grab something else." 

"I'm trying," his partner responded, pulling his arm upward and bringing the digimon closer to him. "I can't let go with this hand, though." He pulled his hand closer to his chest, and V-mon reached out and grasped hold of the cloth of his partner's shirt. 

For a moment, the redistribution of weight made their position ever more tenuous. They swung wildly in mid-air while Daisuke tried frantically to grab the bridge with his other hand. He grabbed on to the rope with both hands and heaved a sigh of relief. 

_'Takeru, where are_ you?'_ he wondered. _

***

"Do you feel anything?" Patamon asked. He was keeping alert, listening for sounds, but all he heard in the darkened interior was the sound of his partner's shuffling footsteps on the ground. 

"Just the wall," Takeru answered. "It feels slimy and cold and eternal. Maybe I should have gone the other way after all." 

"Don't give up now!" Patamon scolded. "If you keep going, the wall _has_ to end somewhere." 

"I hope so," he sighed. "It's strange - you'd think that the moonlight would come in through the door. It wasn't _this dark outside. Why is it so dark in here?" _

"I don't know." 

"Maybe there's some sort of magic? What exactly is this building anyway? Why is it in the middle of a lake? Why is there no way out of it except back across the bridge?" 

"Takeru?" 

"Yes?" 

"What's that?" 

***

V-mon gathered his strength and pulled himself from his perch on his partner's head on to the wooden planks of the treacherous bridge. He paused, panting for breath, and looked down at his partner. 

"You know I'm not strong enough to pull you up, right?" 

Daisuke half-shrugged, dismissing this. "Do you see anyone who _can_?" he asked. 

The small blue digimon stepped back a bit and looked back toward the stone island. He shook his head slightly. "I don't see Takeru or Patamon. You don't suppose they were washed into the water?" 

"It's possible," he answered with a grim expression. "How about the other direction? Do you see Hikari?" 

***

"What's what? I don't see anything." Takeru was confused. 

"That odd bright thing over there," Patamon answered. "Turn your head." 

Takeru did so, and spotted the thing in question not far off. "Do you think it might be a digimental?" he asked, speaking the first thing that came to mind.

"If it is, why didn't it react earlier?" 

"Maybe it isn't mine. If it was, then it would have been activated when I first entered the building. Or even before that," Takeru reasoned. "So maybe it belongs to Hikari or Iori and it's reacting now because they're coming closer?" 

***

"Let go of the rope. I can't pull you up if you're still attached to the bridge!"

"Miyako?" Daisuke asked, looking up to see a familiar face peering down at him with some frustration. "How did you - ?" 

"Do you want me to save your life before that - thing - comes back or do you want to hang there and have me tell you a story? Let go of the rope." 

"If I let go, I'll fall."   
  


"No you won't. I've already got you. Just let go." 

"Trust her, Daisuke," Iori's voice piped up. "She knows what she's talking about." 

"I'm not inclined to," he responded, but let go of the rope. To his surprise, he didn't immediately plummet into the water, but instead hovered for a moment in midair. The floating sensation startled him and, for a brief second, Daisuke felt a quiver of alarm. Then, he began to slowly rise higher. As his vision grew level with the wooden planks of the bridge, he could see three pairs of shoes awaiting him on the bridge. The three shoes grew into the three people, one of whom was Miyako, whose face was scrunched in concentration as she maneuvered some unseen magical forces. At last, his feet were once again on semi-solid ground and Miyako released the magical bindings. 

Before anything could be said, though, a loud noise broke the relative silence of the dark. It sounded like an angry, screeching roar. The waters parted a short distance from the bridge and a massive red serpentine creature rose from the water with another deafening screeching noise and turned to face them. The moonlight glinted off the front of its face, which was elongated as in most serpents and covered with a metal shell, topped with a ferocious, dangerous looking, sharp, blade-like horn. 

There was nothing to be said and no time to say it. In an instant, all eight on the bridge took off at top speed for the nearest and safest place, which was the stone island. 

"What _is_ that thing?" Miyako demanded between frantic, gasping breaths. 

"I believe that would be Mega Seadramon," Hawkmon replied, flapping quickly behind his partner. 

"Mega Seadramon?" Daisuke echoed. "Sounds dangerous."

Mega Seadramon chose that moment in time to twist its body sideways and splash into the water, sending a gigantic tidal wave in the direction of the bridge. 

"Miyako!" Hikari called the warning. 

"I see it, I see it!" Miyako answered. She stopped her tracks, raised her arms and shut her eyes. 

A wall of water rose up out of the lake and surrounded the bridge, all on the bridge remained dry. Daisuke stared in astonished relief as the water curved around him, redirected by Miyako's quickly raised shield.

The water abated, Miyako lowered the shield, and everyone darted toward the stone island.

 In the midst of all the confusion, no one noticed the continuos beeping noise that had been sounding throughout the entire ordeal.

*** 

Takeru stepped toward the light coming from the digimental, keeping his arms spread in front of him in an attempt to avoid further collisions with whatever other furniture might be in the room. Curiously, although the light was rather bright, it failed to illuminate the room enough for him to navigate by. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the glowing object, but the light didn't help him to make out the features of his hands or arms any better. He pulled on the digimental, but nothing happened. 

"Not mine," he reported to Patamon, shaking his head slightly. "I guess it must belong to Hikari or Iori." 

"Well, we'll be sure to inform them as soon as they find their way here. Or we find our way out of here," Patamon answered with a sigh. 

Takeru was about to respond when he suddenly felt something wet against his ankle. He looked down and noticed the light of the digimental reflecting off the stone floor. His feet felt cold even within his boots, and he realized that his toes felt wet. There was water within the stone building. Not only that, it was steadily rising. He wondered how he'd failed to notice it before. 

His thoughts were interrupted just then by another light. When Takeru turned, he could see, dimly, the outline of an exit to the room. Framed within the exit were a few figures running quickly toward the entrance, toward him, with every intention of entering. A few carried torches, and because of that, he was able to identify the figure in the front of the crowd as Miyako, who had an expression made partly of fear and partly of urgency as she ran.

Takeru wisely acted upon his first instinct, which was to step aside of the incoming figures, but he didn't move quickly enough, and the light was too dim to see anything very well, and so he just succeeded in moving directly into their path. 

Mega Seadramon chose that moment to let loose another massive wave, and so everyone outside the stone building was washed inside. The resulting collision resulted in a massive entanglement of bodies and a lot of confusion. 

There was a loud crashing sound from outside, and, despite the confusion, everyone turned toward the sound to find that Mega Seadramon's massive tail had succeeded in splitting the bridge in half. 

While the Chosen and their partners watched helplessly from inside the stone building, the battered wood splintered into a thousand tiny pieces and the moldy, slimy rope holding it together was left to droop and dangle uselessly in the swampy lake. 

The sound of laughter could be heard distantly. 

***

The sun had slowly begun its course into the sky and the cloudy mist that surrounded the stone building in the middle of the lake hindered the light sent to the swamp. Iori awoke after only a short amount of sleep and saw that his companions and his partner were all still resting.  Little sleep was possible with ankle-deep water, but they had all attempted after Mega Seadramon had departed following the destruction of the bridge.

Inside the stone building, the darkness no longer held the power of mystery and confusion it had possessed the night before. It was a simple round, stone building with a few statues in the middle of it. Iori guessed that it was probably very old, probably built as a shrine to a water god of some sort, although he couldn't recall from any history what sort of people had lived in this area. He both regretted and was thankful that he had not brought along his book of notes. It probably would have been soaked or damaged, but he would have liked to gather further information for his map project. 

Feeling a bit damp, Iori ventured to the doorway of the building and peered out. He was not surprised to note that the swamp was covered with an early morning mist that made it look very mystical, even in the daylight. He remembered that Miyako had said she'd seen dark magic here the night before, but nothing about the area spoke of evil to Iori. He wondered if there was a dark tower in the area. If there was, it was not visible from the island.

Iori stepped out of the doorway cautiously, encouraged by the early morning silence. He could hear a few insects buzzing and some birds twittering in the distance, but the area was otherwise calm and peaceful. The warm sun felt comforting after he'd spent the night in damp, cold clothes. 

He remembered then the events of the night before, and Iori's pleasant, peaceful mood evaporated. His eyes locked on the bridge they'd taken the night before. Through the mist and haze of the water, it was almost possible to see the shoreline, though not quite. He could almost make out the pile of rocks and the two poles the other end of the bridge had once been attached to. But the bridge itself was gone. 

The edge of the stone platform that surrounded the building still held the supports of this end of the bridge, but now the rotted wood and the grimy ropes trailed down into the water and offered no escape. 

Iori felt the beginnings of despair as he stared across the lake. It wasn't endless, but he certainly had no hope of getting across it without a bridge, or without being attacked. He sat down on the warm stones and let the sun relax his body. The water rippled below him, and Iori glanced down into the murky depths to see a long, serpentine body moving just below the surface. He instinctively scuttled backward, fairly certain that it was Mega Seadramon he had just glimpsed. 

 Iori thought to hurry back inside and warn the others, but it was too late. Mega Seadramon had spotted him as well. In a single, terrifying motion, the long, serpentine creature roared up from the depths, mouth opened wide, a ferocious roar escaping. Iori fell backwards into the stone wall behind him, his emotions wavering between fear and awe at the giant Mega Seadramon. 

There was now no need for him to alert the others - Mega Seadramon's roar had done that for him. While Iori stared at the giant serpent, momentarily stunned with panic, the others quickly dashed from the building to see what had happened. 

It was Takeru who had the presence of mind to grab the youngest of the Chosen by the hand and pull him to safety within the stone edifice while Miyako and Daisuke rushed forward with the sticks that had once burned as torches. They weren't much to offer in defense of their position, but they served to buy enough time for the others to get to safety. Daisuke tried using his stick as a club while Miyako simply threw hers with all her might at the giant serpent. Exhausted, weak, and hungry, neither had much of an effect on the giant digimon. 

"Get back inside!" Takeru urged, waving from the doorway. The stone shelter was the only safety in midst of the lake. "Inside!" he shouted again. 

Since their attacks had little effect, Miyako saw the wisdom of this advice and, before he could protest (for he hated to retreat from anything), she grabbed Daisuke by the arm and dragged him within the building as well.  

Mega Seadramon let loose a ferocious, shrieking howl, and threw its body forward, unwilling to let its prey escape. 

"Get back!" Miyako urged, running toward the back of the building. 

A few giant-sized serpent teeth snapped at the air as the end of Mega Seadramon's snout pushed its way through the entranceway. Daisuke tried again to beat his stick against the creature's nose. This only resulted in making the enemy even more angered, however. Mega Seadramon opened its mouth, snapping ferociously, and the end of the stick was caught within its jaws.

Now it was Hikari who grabbed Daisuke and pulled him back towards the far wall, scolding him as she did so: "Are you crazy? You could have been killed!" 

After a few moments, Mega Seadramon managed to free its muzzle from the doorway and pulled back from the stone building. The screeches echoed across the lake, so annoyed was it by its inability to reach its prey. The noise quickly abated though. 

"Is it giving up?" Miyako wondered. 

  
"It doesn't have to come after us," Takeru concluded dully. "We're doomed if we stay in here and doomed if we leave." He sighed and sat down in a puddle of water.

"If only there was some way we could at least _fight him," Daisuke sighed. He placed a hand on his stomach as he spoke, the pangs of hunger choosing just that moment to remind him why they couldn't._

"Um...what's that?" V-mon interrupted, pointing at a pedestal that stood in the center of the round building. In the light of the morning, they were able to see it for the first time. 

Takeru laughed slightly and slapped his palm to his head. "Oh! I'd forgotten! I found that digimental last night. It isn't mine, I tried to lift it, so it must be someone else's. I can't believe I forgot to mention it." He shook his head. 

"You _forgot_ to mention that you found a digimental?" Miyako questioned, astonished. Takeru shrugged apologetically.

"Well, let's find out whose it is," Daisuke decided. He stepped up to the digimental, but it didn't give when he tried to lift it. Miyako also tried, but it was equally stubborn. 

"I doubt that it's mine," Hikari admitted, but she tried nonetheless, and, as predicted, she was unable to lift the digimental. 

"I suppose it must be yours then, Iori," Armadimon said then, glancing toward his partner. "Go on." 

Iori nodded and stepped up to the stone pedestal. He looked down at the white and blue digimental for a moment, noting the symbol on it without really making sense of it. Without hesitation, he placed both hands around the object and lifted it easily from the pedestal with the accompaniment of a flash of light. 

When the brightness had subsided, the others crowded around, congratulating him. 

"Digimental Seijitsu," Takeru observed, nodding. "I'd guess that's the last of the digimentals, then." 

"_I'd_ guess that a new digimental might give you enough power to fight Mega Seadramon, at least for a little while," Daisuke answered. "And if he's got a dark ring, then he'll be defeated easily that way." 

"Or he could use the digimental to go across the lake," Hikari interrupted. "And to go for help." 

"That's a good idea," Takeru agreed. "Especially if the digimental turns Armadimon in to something that can fly." 

"I sure hope not," Armadimon said, looking at the stones beneath his feet with some relief. "I'd rather stay closer to the ground if you don't mind." 

"Flying is not for everyone," Hawkmon agreed with a nod. 

"You won't know what Armadimon will become or even if a new digimental has enough power to do anything," Miyako pointed out. "Not until you try." 

"It seems best to try to get across the water," Iori finally said, having been carefully considering his different options. "If I can get back to the cabin I should be able to get enough food to come back. If I can bring some of that food back here, then you can all eat. It seems then that we'd have a much better chance of defeating Mega Seadramon or escaping if we all had strength." 

Armadimon seemed to accept the plan. "I'm strong, but I'm sure I'm not strong enough to defeat him on my own," he admitted. 

***

Jyou ventured from the safety and warmth of the cabin out in to the snow-covered forest for the first time since the latest snow had fallen. He would have liked to remain inside and warm, but, since the wood-carrying job of the night before had been aborted, it was up to him to finish it, or at least make some headway, if he wanted to stay warm inside. 

He wasn't a fan of snow. He wasn't very happy about having to treat frostbitten or frozen digimon and people through the cold winter. He preferred to say safely within the stone walls of the castle and leave the wood chopping to others. But Jyou Kido was a long way from the castle, and there was no one else to gather the wood. So he reluctantly hefted the axe over his shoulder and trekked into the forest. 

Gomamon was having the time of his life. The wind had blown the snow into small piles and drifts and he was sliding and slipping across the snow, laughing and cheering happily; unaffected by the cold. As Jyou slammed his axe again and again into the tree, he could hear the sounds of his partner's laughter drifting through the woods. 

Part of Jyou was frustrated that his partner could have such fun, but he knew that this was Gomamon's way, and anyway, without hands or fingers (or opposable thumbs) Gomamon would be nearly useless at wielding an axe. 

The first tree fell with a crash into the snow. In the silence, the sound echoed, startling a few bird digimon that had been huddling near the tops of other trees. Jyou ignored them, instead getting to work on cutting the tree into smaller, more arm-sized pieces. 

Although he didn't much like physical activity, Jyou found that the repetitive chopping and the silence of the forest were appealing. He didn't much care for loud noise, either, which was why he was often one to forgo parties and large gatherings. The solitude felt appealing to him even considering his location. 

Gomamon's squeals of delight reminded him that he wasn't completely alone, and he felt safer. The axe continued to chop, the steady thud of the tool the only other sound as he removed the upper branches from the trunk and began to cut these into smaller logs. When he paused to move, his boots made crunching noise against the snow. 

The chopping was nearly finished. Jyou stopped his work and rubbed his mittened hands together, trying to warm himself. For a moment, he heard no sound, and then was keenly aware of the silence. Anxiously, he looked around at the surrounding trees, and felt a bit fearful. 

Gomamon laughed again. "Whee!" he squealed. Jyou sighed, shook his head, and lifted the axe again. 

Just as he was about to bring the metal part down upon the wood of the tree, he heard the sound of footsteps crunching quickly through the trees. Something was coming that way - and fast!

"Gomamon!" Jyou called, and he could hear his partner laugh in delight.

"What is it, Jyou?"

"I hear something. Come here." 

"Hear what?" Gomamon questioned, but already his voice was coming closer, and Jyou could detect a well-hidden hint of concern in the carefree tone. "Voices in your head?" 

"No, footsteps," Jyou answered. Gomamon emerged from somewhere within the cluster of trees. "Do you hear them?" he asked. 

His partner didn't respond for a moment, instead cocking his head to one side and listening intently to the silence. In the distance, the crunch, crunch of footsteps in deep snow could be heard. "Yes," he answered. "Coming this way. Should we see what it is?" 

The doctor hesitated for a moment before he responded. "I suppose so. It could be one of the others returning. Then again, it could be a dangerous, controlled digimon." 

Gomamon had already started off in the direction of the noise. "Coming!" he called cheerfully, leaving his partner to follow nervously.

***

Tentomon, perched in the rafters of the cabin with a book, glanced down at his partner to see if he'd taken a break from studying. He had not. Koushiro was still buried nose-deep in volumes as he had been since the sun had risen. 

Tentomon knew what his partner searched for was the origin of the magical barrier. From what Miyako had reported, it had sounded as though the barrier was somehow related to the light magic that Hikari and Taichi had inherited. Koushiro had thus theorized, privately, that perhaps the boundary was created by one of their ancestors, perhaps the ones who had originally founded the kingdom. The magic was, Miyako had reported, quite old and benevolent. 

Koushiro had been inclined to take Miyako's observations seriously and had thus begun a search through various large volumes that he had brought with him in hopes of finding some mention of a boundary created in the histories. Unfortunately, because of the limited amount of space, he had brought few books that were of use. He would have to return home, he had decided, if only to do more research. The Kaiser's appearance appeared to have been completely neglected by the prophecies, which was another facet sure to require ever more hours pouring through books. 

There was a noise just outside and then the hinges swung open and the door banged inward with such a thud that Koushiro turned away from his books to see Jyou enter, still dressed in his warmer clothes, and helping to support an obviously weakened Iori. The wizard rose from his seat to help. 

"What's happened?" he questioned. "Where are the others?" 

"Stranded," Iori answered, exhaustion apparent even in his voice. "Mega Seadramon surrounded them. Only with the Digimental Seijitsu was I able to come back for help." He turned to Koushiro with fear in his eyes. "They have no food and no protection. They can't evolve. They're helpless. Tell me you can help." 

Koushiro frowned darkly. "Mega Seadramon?" he echoed. "Where is this? Tell me more." 

"A water shrine, I'd guess. There was a rope bridge leading to it in the middle of the lake, but it was old and Mega Seadramon destroyed it. It was all a trap. Takeru and Daisuke were forced there by some mysterious attackers and the rest of us followed." 

While Iori had been relating his story, Jyou had been heating some broth and meat on the cooking stove. He poured the soup into a bowl and gave it to the exhausted, hungry boy, then placed the meat before Armadimon.  "Is anyone hurt?" he asked. 

Iori shook his head and swallowed half the bowl in a gulp. "No. Only hungry and tired," he answered. "Muddy and dirty, too," he added, referring to his own garments, which were caked in mud. A thin layer of the muck covered most of his skin. "I evolved Armadimon and we were able to get across the lake. It took considerable more effort to get back here." 

"There's _no_ _way_ out of the lake?" Gomamon questioned. "Can't the others evolve?" 

Armadimon answered between bites:  "They're all to weak. Even with the power of the digimental, I wasn't much stronger. None of us had eaten since yesterday afternoon."

"I'd guess Miyako doesn't have the strength for a spell, either," Tentomon stated. 

Iori finished his bowl of soup feeling a bit more energized. The pain in his stomach had ceased and the hunger was abated for the moment. "I don't think so," he replied. "She spent enough of that energy shielding us from the tidal waves Mega Seadramon created and lighting torches so we could see to get across the bridge." 

Koushiro had been searching frantically through a book, flipping pages quickly until he discovered what he wanted. "Can you tell me how to get to this place, Iori?" he questioned. 

"I think so," Iori answered. "Can you help them?" 

"I'll try," the wizard promised.

***

Mega Seadramon had quieted down, at least for the moment, but it did little to quell the anxieties of those trapped within the stone building. Miyako peered out of the only entrance, watching the lake and its unnatural stillness. 

The area was encased in a blanket of dark magic, which was why Miyako was certain that they were in the Kaiser's territory no matter how far off course they might have strayed.  Last night, the darkness of the magic and the darkness of the night had combined to make her almost without vision in the new environment. Even with the sun shining brightly over the lake, things looked duller and darker than usual, and for the first time Miyako found herself frustrated with her magical vision. 

"I don't see a dark tower," Hawkmon reported, seated beside her. He'd been scanning the surrounding area with his own, much better vision, and reported nothing. "This could mean that Mega Seadramon isn't controlled, but acting of his own volition."

"No," Miyako said, shaking her head. "There's dark magic here, and it definitely came from Ken. His has a distinct feel to it, and it's here. The problem is that some of the magic is not." 

"Maybe this area just has magic in it," Daisuke suggested. He looked out across the water and remembered the ancient bridge that had hung there, then looked at the walls of the building, which were covered with a thin layer of slime that could only have been caused by contact with the lake water. 

"This building seems very old," Hikari said, following his line of vision and noticing also the chips, cracks, and holes within the walls. "Iori said, I think, that this building might have been a shrine to a water god. Do you think, Miyako, that the worshipers might have created the magic you feel here?" 

"Maybe they created the magic that caused the weather barrier," V-mon offered, but Miyako shook her head. 

"I don't know if any magic came from this building, but it wasn't the same that created the weather barrier," she stated with some conviction. "_That_ magic was ancient magic, not evil. This magic is dark." 

"The magic that created the weather barrier was good?" Tailmon questioned, frowning.

Miyako sighed, uncertain of how to explain such a thing without leading the conversation further into the technical aspects of magic. She sensed that the line of questioning might lead into a discussion of the types of magic, and an admittance of the third sort of magic was too close to revealing Hikari's magic. 

Miyako had tried for the last few weeks to avoid the subject of magic around anyone but Koushiro, and especially around Hikari. Eventually, she knew that it would come up, and when that happened, she wanted to be near Koushiro, so that she could turn to him for help. Stranded on a stone island was precisely _not_ where she'd wanted to be. 

After some amount of thought, Miyako replied simply: "It wasn't evil." 

She knew the moment after she'd stated this that the answer wasn't sufficient. Tailmon seemed confused by the response. 

"If it wasn't evil, it was good, wasn't it?" Takeru asked. Miyako didn't answer, instead turning her gaze back toward the water. 

"Not necessarily," Daisuke answered instead with a thoughtful look on his face. 

"It can't be as simple as just good or evil, Takeru," Hikari stated. "There's something in between that's neither. Or that's ambiguous." 

Miyako stood and walked closer to the entrance, interrupting unintentionally whatever response Takeru might have stated. Hawkmon watched his partner anxiously. "Miyako?" he questioned. 

"I sense something…," Miyako said, slowly, hesitantly. 

"Is Mega Seadramon returning?" Daisuke asked. 

"You should probably move away from the doorway," Hawkmon pointed out.

"No, no." Miyako waved a hand to silence them. "I sense something else. I sense…."

"Sense _what_?" Patamon asked. 

"I sense Koushiro's magic." 

Before anyone could ask what Miyako meant by this odd statement, a sound could be heard that broke the silence of the lake. It came from overhead, and it sounded like a shout. Hurriedly, everyone crowded around the doorway to peer out, ignoring for a moment the danger involved. 

"There!" Miyako shouted, and an odd, cloud-shaped object was moving across the water from the direction where the bridge had once stood. "That's it!" 

"What _is_ it?" Takeru asked. 

Miyako didn't answer, and the cloud was coming closer, whirling in a tornado-like fashion, skipping over the water and splashing as it did so. It came closer and closer to the building, and as it did, more and more water sprayed up towards the entrance, splashing those who stood in the doorway, awaiting. 

A final skip in the water and the cloud-like object leapt from lake on to the stone floor outside the shrine. It hovered for a moment and then the spinning, cyclone-like movement halted and six figures were standing on the stones. 

"Brilliant!" Miyako cheered enthusiastically, and stepped forward. Koushiro allowed one appreciative grin before schooling his features back into their usually serious expression. 

"What is this?"  Hikari questioned, stepping from the doorway with a look of disbelief on her face. "I have never seen such a thing before!"

"Something having to do with the water, or the wind?" Takeru questioned, scratching his head in confusion.   
  


Koushiro shook his head. "There isn't time to explain," he reported, taking in the surroundings. "Mega Seadramon will surely return in a short while. If there is a dark tower in the area, we have to get rid of it, and if there isn't then we have to get out fast." 

"How?" Daisuke pointed out. "Do you have strength enough to return us all the way you came?" 

"Not a chance," the wizard answered simply. 

Jyou, the third of the humans and the only one who hadn't spoken yet, removed the pack he carried on his back. "No, you'll have to get yourselves home," he answered simply. "If this food is enough to regain your strength, then eat. There isn't enough for all of you, so those that can fly, eat hearty." 

Patamon, Tailmon, and Hawkmon eagerly took hold of the bread and rolls that Jyou handed out, and their partners also took some of the food to eat. 

"If there is a dark tower in the area, we haven't been able to find it," Miyako reported. "The area is filled with so much dark magic it's impossible to tell where it originates from." 

Koushiro nodded. "I feel the dark magic, too," he answered. Before he could say more, the loud screech of the angered Mega Seadramon filled the air, and the massive, dragon-like head of the creature towered over the shrine. 

"Inside!" Hikari shouted the warning, although that was mostly for Daisuke's benefit. She grabbed hold of his shirtsleeve before he could develop any ideas about charging out to fight defenselessly and pulled him to the stone building. The others followed immediately.  
  


Mega Seadramon through his long, whip-like body into the water, creating a massive wave that soaked the dry spots even in the back of the shrine. Enraged and growing ever more impatient for his meal, the serpent twisted his body and thrashed his massive tail into the side of the stones. The walls buckled and the stone island shook. 

"I think we've made him mad," Gomamon noted. "Oh, I wish I could evolve." He frowned and made low growling noises to show his frustration. 

"You stay in here!" Jyou scolded, lest his partner develop any sort of ideas. "Is anyone hurt?" he called. When no one answered in the affirmative, he breathed a sigh of relief. 

"We'll never get off the island this way," Takeru said, looking at the walls. "If we leave the building to fly, he'll grab us."   
  
Patamon agreed. "I'm a fast flier, but he's not too slow himself," he stated. 

There was another loud, screeching wail from Mega Seadramon, and the 

"Maybe we could get some sort of a distraction," Gomamon suggested. He twitched his flippers. It had been a while since he'd been in the water. 

"Sounds great," Armadimon agreed. "Let's do it." 

Iori nodded to his partner and lifted his digimental. "Agreed. Digimental up!" 

"Armadimon evolve! Submarimon!" 

***

I planned to have this chapter out before Thanksgiving. Then, before Christmas. I got it out…before New Year's. Barely. I have to apologize again for the long wait. I'm a full-time student, so naturally that takes priority over most anything else. I'd like to say that the next chapter won't take so long to get out, but I said that last time and look what happened….

Anyway, this getting through chapter means that I can finally move a bit forward in the plot now that all the digimentals have been found. Surprisingly, I've got Ken's defeat (mostly) planned out, I just have to find the time to type it out.  Time. Right. 

Thanks to all of you who have stuck with reading this story from the beginning. I'm not abandoning it, I promise, I just have a very busy schedule. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and stay tuned for the next part, coming (hopefully) soon!


	20. Connections and Fears

In the Dark 

Part Twenty: Connections and Fears

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Plot belongs to me. Characters do not, as they belong to some big company in Japan. I tried to write them to ask for permission to use them, but my Japanese is not so good. Therefore, I'm using them without permission. I also get no money for doing so. Remember, don't steal, don't sue! Enjoy! 

***

When the light had faded, the digimon that appeared where Armadimon had been before was quite unique. Submarimon, a white and blue fish-shaped digimon, floated at the surface of the water, awaiting his passenger. 

"Be careful," Jyou warned as Iori climbed aboard. The younger chosen nodded simply, and then was gone as he and Submarimon submerged. 

Under the water, Iori's vision was clear despite the murkiness of the water. Ahead, he could see the end of Mega Seadramon's tail quite clearly. 

"Oxygen Homing," Submarimon called, and a blast of air slammed directly into the skin of his opponent. 

"That should do it," Iori noted. Even under water, they could hear the giant serpent's scream of annoyance as it whirled to face its attacker. 

***

Patamon finished munching the roll that had been given him. "I think I can evolve now, Takeru," he reported cheerfully, mouth half-full. He swallowed the last bite. 

"Right. Let's try it," his partner agreed, pulling his digivice from his pocket. "Digimental up!"

"Patamon armor evolve! Pegasmon!" 

"Should we fly all the way back to the cabin, or only as far as the edge of the lake?" Takeru questioned. 

"Don't go all the way back," Hikari advised. "You might be needed. Wait here, if only for a bit." 

Koushiro nodded. "Iori might need you to assist him," he agreed. 

A few minutes later, Tailmon and Hawkmon had also evolved. Holsmon perched on the roof of the stone building, as there wasn't much space inside. From this vantage point, Miyako could easily see the battle that was occurring underwater. 

Mega Seadramon's screams of anger were occurring at regular intervals now, and Miyako was certain that Iori was glad Submarimon was such a fast swimmer. It was obvious; however, that one armor-evolved digimon wouldn't be enough to defeat the serpentine monster. 

Unlike Iori, Miyako didn't have a clear view of the underwater occurrences. A large amount of bubbles on the surface and the amount of dark magic in the air clouded the view considerably. She squinted through the haze and rubbed her eyes, but her sight didn't clear. 

Recognizing that vision wasn't going to be much use to her in this instance – magical or not – Miyako reluctantly shut her eyes. Even then, she could sense the dark magic surrounding the lake, swirling around in many directions. As she'd explained to the others earlier, although most of the magic was dark, only some of it could be said to have been formed by the Kaiser. From the moment Miyako had first glimpsed their latest enemy, she'd seen and felt his magic, and she knew its distinctive feel quite well. 

Suddenly, an idea came to her. In the currents of magic floating through the air, Miyako noted one with Ken's distinctive feel and tried to follow it. In one direction, it seemed to float away from them – back, she supposed, to wherever Ken currently was – but in another direction it seemed to flow directly into the murky water. 

_'Of course!'_ Miyako realized then that she had been so intent on finding the dark tower somewhere on the ground that she'd never even though to look within the water. She opened her eyes and caught sight of the current she'd sensed. She followed it visually – a more difficult task – through its whirling, twisting course and then it plunged into the water not far from the stone building she was atop. 

"Holsmon!" she gasped suddenly, alarming her partner. "Follow my gaze. What do you see beneath the surface?" 

Holsmon's superior vision followed the finger Miyako pointed toward the water and caught hold of a dark something underneath. "Something," he answered after a moment. "I'll need to fly closer to see what it is, though." 

"Do it then," Miyako said, and climbed onto her partner's back.  As they took off into the sky, she heard Koushiro calling after her, wanting to know her destination, but she was too absorbed to answer him. 

Over the water, the mists rising off the water and the swirling magic still made it difficult for Miyako to see past the surface. Holsmon was better able to spot what Miyako had sensed from the stone island though, and pointed it out to her. "I think we might have found what we were looking for."

Miyako squinted, trying to see past the mists and swirls. The source of the magic she'd sensed was down there. "It's a dark tower, isn't it?" she asked, but it was more of a statement than a question. Of course it was a dark tower – it was the source of the Kaiser's magic in this area. "Can we destroy it from here?" 

"I'll certainly try," her partner answered. He flew higher, circling the lake and then flying again closer to the underwater obelisk, this time at a better angle. "Red Sun!" he called, the beams of red light piercing through the water. For a moment, the dark mists in Miyako's vision parted at the intrusion, and she followed the beams through the water. 

There was no satisfactory sound of a crash to tell them that the beams had hit the target, only a splash of water and a light hissing sound as the sand on the bottom of the lake took the bruising intended for the tower. "It's not easy to aim at things under water," Holsmon reported, an apologetic tone to his voice. "Submarimon would be better equipped for that task."

"Yes, but he's over there," Miyako gestured vaguely with her hand to another section of the lake, where Iori and his partner were trying to evade the dangerous Mega Seadramon. "How do we get him here to destroy this thing? If only there was some way to signal him… that's it!" 

Struck with inspiration, Miyako directed Holsmon to fire the attack again, this time in the direction of Mega Seadramon. "I know that it won't hit him," she acquiesced, "but it'll get Iori's attention." 

***

Under the water, the situation had rapidly become worrying to Iori. After Submarimon's first, successful attack, the giant Mega Seadramon had turned and headed straight for them. With self-preservation being a priority, they'd quickly turned and fled, but not so fast so that the giant serpent didn't try to follow. Several times since then, the enemy had shown signs of wanting to break off the attack and return to the stone building, and Submarimon had used those times to taunt the serpent back to them, focusing his rage on them once more. It worked, but baiting such a dangerous enemy was dangerous and, as Iori was discovering, quite frightening. 

Suddenly, twin beams of red light cut through the murky water, striking the sand directly between the two underwater fighters. Iori stared at the spot where the beams had been, and then regained his voice. "I think that was Holsmon's attack," he managed to say. 

"What's he doing, firing at the water? He could have killed _us!" Submarimon wanted to know. Mega Seadramon was equally enraged at the attack, and he seemed to think, for some reason, that Iori and his partner were responsible for it. Letting out another ear-splitting screech, the giant serpent resumed his pursuit of the armored digimon. _

"Miyako must have had _some_ reason for that," Iori said, thinking wildly while at the same time being propelled through the water at a high rate of speed. "But what - ?" 

"Maybe it's a signal that everyone's gone to safety?" Submarimon suggested. "And that now we can get out of here?" 

Iori pondered this theory for a few moments, and then the water was once again split by the red beams, this time a short distance ahead of them. "I don't understand," the boy admitted truthfully. 

Before Submarimon had the chance to offer another theory, the attack was fired once more, this time a bit farther away than the last attack. "I think they might have lost their minds," the digimon admitted finally. 

"Possible," Iori sighed. He'd only known Miyako for a short time, but he'd already learned that she sometimes had a tendency to perform illogical acts. 

"Hey – I think I see something over there," Submarimon said then, turning them to face where Holsmon's last attack had landed. "Can't tell what, though yet." 

Since they were approaching the spot at a very fast speed, it wasn't long before Iori also spotted what his partner had seen. He didn't have to look at it long before he identified it, though. "A dark tower!" he breathed. "So that's where it's hidden." 

"And that might explain the attacks. They were trying to get us to notice this thing," his partner realized. "Should we destroy it?" 

Iori nodded. "Let's do it." 

***

Three pairs of tiny feet clicked along the smoothly polished floor, propelling their owner, a small green caterpillar digimon, through the hallways of the building. He scurried along the floor as quickly as he could, red eyes of captured and enslaved digimon peering out at him from within their tiny cells. They frightened him, but then, everything frightened him nowadays; made him nervous. 

At the end of the long hall there was an office, cluttered with books and a few tables to hold the desks. The room was occupied by a single figure, who towered over the tiny caterpillar and commanded the entire building. The fearful digimon peered around the edge of the doorway to see his master standing, as he often was these days, over a pile of books, muttering to himself under his breath as he scribbled with ink on another paper. 

"Master?" the intruder questioned fearfully, not daring to interrupt or disturb the work. As always, he was the bringer of bad news, and this frightened him; but the last few times he had brought such news, his master had seemed unconcerned, even uninterested. He was never quite certain what the reaction would be.

The head bent over the book glanced up slightly, and two eyes peered at him through tinted lenses. Cautiously, the servant studied the eyes so that he might gauge just how to deliver the information, and was alarmed. "Master, you look exhausted," he said, rather than impart the information. As soon as he was finished speaking, he regretted the words. 

"What business is it of yours?" came the snapped reply. "Leave me, unless you have something _useful_ to report. I doubt you do." 

Yes, the servant realized, his master was exhausted. He tried to recall the last time his master had rested, had slept, and found that he could not. His latest project – it frightened the diminutive digimon to think of the details – had occupied all his waking hours and most of those usually allotted for sleeping. 

"Only that Mega Seadramon was defeated, Master," the small caterpillar reported, lest he be scolded later for failing to give information. "The tower in that sector was destroyed." 

Again, his master paid little attention to the news. Instead, he continued mumbling to himself under his breath and making marks with the pen. 

***

One of the wondrous things that Sora and Yamato had brought with them along with many other useful supplies was a large wooden tub, just large enough to serve as a bathtub. Although it was smaller than the porcelain tubs at the palace, it was water sealed and so served its function. 

Exhausted and covered with several days worth of dirt and grime, Miyako was more eager to relax in hot water than to eat. In the back of the cabin, she slipped into one of the curtained-off 'rooms' and used the small heating stove to heat several buckets of water. When they were hot enough, she poured the water, bucket by bucket, into the tub. A large cover kept the water from cooling until she had filled the bath all the way, and then she stripped of her clothes and slipped into the wooden tub. 

It had been quite some time since hot water had been available to her. When they'd still been living within the tents, space was made available for bathing, but it was next to impossible to have heated water. As a result, baths had been quick and hurried and not in the least bit relaxing. Now, as the heated water surrounded her tired muscles, Miyako let herself relax and escape, her mind drifting....

***

While Miyako soaked in the water, the others took advantage of the food. 

"I think," Koushiro advised, "that if nothing else this incident should teach us all not to leave the cabin in the middle of the night." He focused his eyes on Daisuke and Takeru in particular. 

Daisuke did his best to avoid the accusing stare. Takeru apologized between bites. "We didn't expect anything to happen," he explained. He shoveled a few bites of fish into his mouth and swallowed quickly. "We've never been attacked that close before." 

"You're just lucky no one was hurt," Jyou admonished, leaning against the wall and observing the feast. He sighed.

Hikari sighed. Having finished her own meal, she stood and carried her plate with her. "We can hardly expect Ken to sit in the forest and wait for us to come to him, Takeru," she said. "Eventually, I expect he'll probably spread out." 

Daisuke swallowed the mouthful of food he'd been eating. "Spread out?" he echoed. 

Koushiro agreed. "Once he's fully conquered whatever territory he has, he'll spread out and expand beyond it. Unless we manage to stop him." 

"It appears he has more territory than we originally thought," Iori spoke up for the first time.  "Each time we've entered lately we've gotten lost. If we do free the territory, I hope we can find time to map it more extensively." 

Koushiro nodded. "I hope so, too," he answered. "At any rate, I hope you all manage to stay out of trouble for a few days. I'm heading back to the palace tomorrow." 

"To get supplies?" Takeru wondered. 

"I'm sure I'll bring supplies back," the wizard responded. "But I'm going mainly because I want to get a few things. If any of you have messages to send, I suggest you start writing them now." He glanced toward Hikari with a meaningful expression. 

She sighed somewhat dramatically. "I know. I do hope you can manage to tell him a few things, Koushiro. I'm so bad at breaking bad news to him, and he's so bad at receiving it." 

Koushiro raised an eyebrow. "I'll do my best," he answered. "But I'm sure your brother would more than likely prefer some sort of a personal note from his sister." 

***

Early the next morning, Koushiro arose and packed a single back full with as many books as he could afford to carry. Since no carriages or wagons remained at the cabin, he would need to walk a fair distance until he was able to evolve Tentomon and then fly the rest of the way home. 

The snow was still on the ground, though a significant amount of it had melted. In truth, he'd picked a good day to leave; the sky was clear and there was no sign of any further snowstorms. 

"Then you think the barrier is related to Hikari?" Miyako questioned. They stood just outside the cabin, where they could talk without fear of being overheard or interrupted. Discussions of this sort were quite secret.

"I am almost certain that, from what you told me, it is the same sort of magic," he answered. "I also suspect that it is quite old. It could have been placed there by one of the old Kings – old Queens more likely, since that magic has always been stronger in the females. This is all speculation, however, and I'll need to do more research to find out for certain." 

The younger magic-user had a grim expression, and Koushiro knew immediately why. He sighed deeply. "I don't like it either, Miyako, but it's not wise, what you're thinking. Hikari cannot know." 

"I know," Miyako admitted with a sigh of her own.  She shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind. "Let me know what you find."

"I will," he promised. 

From the pocket of her warm winter cloak, Miyako removed an envelope and passed it to him. "I expect my sister is still at the palace. If so, I'd like you to deliver this. If she's not…."

"Then I'll find someone who can deliver it," Koushiro interjected. 

The door opened and the others exited the cabin and came out into the cold morning. "I don't know why you have to leave so early," Takeru grumbled, yawning. 

One by one, the others gave their correspondence to the departing wizard. Hikari had, somewhat reluctantly and _very_ carefully, composed her letter to her brother. Takeru had written one to his brother, Daisuke to his sister, who he suspected was also still at the palace, and Jyou had several, each to various members of his medical staff, filled mostly with instructions.

***

Koushiro arrived at the palace shortly after noon and found that things were calm. He was surprised, though, when Mimi hurried up to him shortly after his entrance. 

"What's happened?" she wanted to know. At his blank look, the girl expanded. "The last few times anyone's returned from near Primary Village, it's been for help. Has there been another attack?" 

"No," Koushiro replied, shaking his head. "All is well, everyone is safe. Or at least they were when I left this morning." He frowned for a moment, trying to imagine how much trouble the younger Chosen could have had in the last few hours. 

Mimi breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. No one's dared tell Taichi you were spotted," she admitted. "We were a bit afraid of what he'd do if he thought something was wrong." 

Koushiro sighed deeply, remembering Hikari's reluctantly written letter. "Well, go and tell him I'm here now," he said. As Mimi walked off down the hall, he thought to call after her: "Be sure to tell him everything's fine!"

***

Taichi sighed, rubbed a hand over his eyes, and massaged his forehead. Only just after noon and he was already developing a monstrous headache. The day didn't seem to be off to a great start. 

"You look tired," Sora told him, noticing the movement. She reached across the table and put a hand on his.  "Do you want to get some rest? I could have things pushed back a day." 

"I'll be all right," he answered, sinking into his chair. They'd paused the day's meetings, activities, and other things for the noon meal, and tired as he was, he'd wanted a quiet, peaceful lunch. Just him and Sora. 

"Are you sure?" she asked, concern clear on her face. He nodded, taking a bite of his food as though this would prove his claim. She seemed unconvinced, but said nothing more, returning as well to her own food. 

For a few moments, there was silence, and only the muffled sounds of chewing could be heard. Then, there were two light raps on the door. Both heads turned expectantly as the door opened and a servant poked his head in. 

"Excuse me, sire. Lady Tachikawa wants to see you. She says it's urgent." 

"Urgent? Mimi?" Taichi echoed. He sighed, trying not to imagine precisely what Mimi considered urgent. "Tell her to wait a few minutes. We're almost done here." 

Sora frowned. "I wonder what it could be." 

"I'm afraid to ask," Taichi answered, rubbing his head again. 

A few minutes later, the food had been eaten, the dishes cleared, and Mimi was permitted into the room. She plastered on to her face the calmest expression she'd been able to muster up in the last few minutes. 

"Urgent?" Taichi questioned. "What's urgent?"  He had an expression on his face that indicated that he thought that it was probably _not urgent, or it was very bad. _

"Urgent?" Mimi echoed. That had probably been a bad word to use. Now he worried. "Ah, probably it's not really _that_ urgent," she admitted. 

He nodded slowly, and folded his arms across his chest, waiting. Now he was probably impatient. Mimi decided it was best to get to the point. 

"It's just that Koushiro arrived a short while ago," she said. "I assumed that you'd want to talk to him." She waited, wondering if he'd become concerned. 

He appeared skeptical. "You couldn't have sent someone else to tell me this?" he questioned. 

Mimi hesitated a moment. Sora interrupted: "Why has Koushiro returned, Mimi? Does he need something?" 

"No, no," Mimi answered, careful to sound as calm and tranquil as she possibly could. "He didn't say why he returned, but he did say that everything was fine." 

***

Inoue Momoe was sewing. This wasn't her favorite activity, but it did pass the time and it did accomplish what needed to be done, which was, of course, to make more baby clothes for her unborn child. She hadn't realized how much a new baby needed until she'd talked with her mother, and then she'd begun to wonder if she'd ever be finished. 

Jun, Mimi, and Sora had offered to pitch in and assist, and already the daunting task seemed a bit more manageable. Today, Mimi and Sora were both busy elsewhere, though, and so it was only Jun and Momoe sitting in the parlor, stitching baby clothes and talking about everything but what their siblings might be doing at that moment. 

There was a knock on the door, and a familiar face peered around the door. "Am I disturbing you?" Koushiro questioned.

"No, no," Momoe said, gesturing for him to enter and trying to ignore the nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach. If Koushiro had returned, and sought her out, did that mean that something had happened to Miyako? 

Jun was more direct. "Has something happened?" she asked, rising to her feet, the baby clothes she'd been stitching forgotten, falling from her lap. 

The wizard shook his head. "Everything's fine," he assured them, removing two envelopes from within his winter cloak, which he hadn't yet removed. "I left this morning to get a few supplies, that's all."   
"Medical supplies?" Jun persisted. 

Koushiro sighed. "Everything is fine," he repeated, slowly. "No one is hurt. I came because I wanted to get a few books I think I might need." He paused, and when no one tried to contradict this, he added: "I assure you that if anyone was hurt, it would not be kept from you." 

Momoe nodded, feeling a bit calmer now. She'd never found reason to doubt him, and she trusted him more now that her sister was learning from him. "Thank you Koushiro," she said. Jun seemed to relax, and sat down, gathering the material to her lap again. 

"I came to see you – both of you – because I volunteered to carry correspondence back here," Koushiro further explained. He held out the two envelopes, and gave one to each of them. "When I announced my plans to leave last night, I offered to carry a few letters, and both your siblings took the time to write to you. Further indicating that they are alive and well." 

Both women took the envelopes eagerly and set aside the sewing to open them. "Will you be leaving soon, Koushiro?" Momoe questioned. "If we want to send something back?" 

"I'm not certain yet," he replied. "But I'll let you know when I have some definite plans." 

As soon as he'd left the room, Momoe tore open the letter and read eagerly. Miyako, as Koushiro had claimed, reported that she was in fine health and, although the situation was always dangerous, she was perfectly safe for the moment. There was some news about what activities she'd been engaged in, what spells she'd been learning, but most of the letter was filled with questions about the others and questions about Momoe and her pregnancy. 

_'I'm sorry I can't be there for this,'_ Miyako had written. _'But _nothing_ will keep me away when you finally have the baby!'_

With a contented sigh, Momoe decided that she'd get to work writing a response right away. She looked up from her letter to ask Jun if she'd like to put aside the sewing, but the other girl had a grim expression on her face as she read. 

"Is something wrong?" Momoe questioned, the nervous feeling returning. 

Jun looked up from the letter and smiled, overenthusiastically, it seemed. "No," she answered a little too quickly. She sighed. "I've just got to go home for a little bit, that's all." 

"Not bad news?" 

"No, no, nothing like that," she replied, and this time the response seemed genuine. Before Momoe could ask another question, she stood, setting the sewing aside. "Excuse me." 

Then she was gone. 

***

Daisuke was perched in the rafters of the cabin. Like Miyako, he'd come to enjoy the spot, and the vantage point it provided. From above, it was possible to watch all the happenings in the cabin and stay out of the way at the same time. 

Miyako was perched on the opposite side of the rafters, engaged for the moment in the serious study of a book that Koushiro had left behind. He wasn't sure why she was reading it so intently, but she seemed completely focused on the task. 

Iori was also focused on his task, which was trying to work on his map project. To Daisuke, the large parchment marked with charcoal and ink looked like a mess of lines and circles, but it apparently made sense to at least two people – Koushiro and Iori – d because they spent a great deal of time adding more charcoal and ink lines to it and discussing where the charcoal and ink lines should be added. 

Takeru had taken it upon himself to fix the furniture problem – more specifically the table problem. The problem was, quite simply, that there was no furniture. Far from an experienced carpenter, Takeru had managed to enlist Jyou's help, but no one really expected Jyou to be of much assistance. 

Hikari had been attempting to clean some laundry in the back room they'd previously used for bathing. After scrubbing and beating the clothes and blankets until they were clean as they possibly be, she'd hung them on a sturdy rope stretched in front of the stove. Now, though, with nothing to do but wait for them to dry, she emerged into the communal area and gazed at the scene. 

Iori was apparently making progress with the creation of the map, but Takeru and Jyou had so far succeeded in accidentally banging Jyou's thumb a six times, and little else. Gomamon found this insanely hysterical, and the laughter was catching, so soon Patamon was chuckling despite himself. 

Hikari found her warmest cloak and her gloves and was preparing to leave, unnoticed in the commotion. Daisuke, perched in the rafters and observing all, dropped down from the ceiling in a smooth sweep, startling her as she hadn't noticed him. 

"Not going out alone, are you?" 

***

After he'd delivered all the correspondence except Hikari's letter, Koushiro made his way down to the basement room that was his lab. No one dared venture into his territory alone, so he wasn't surprised to find it exactly the way that he'd left it. The servants in the castle were known to clean most every square inch – but they stayed away from that room. It wasn't clear if it was because they were afraid of his magic or they found the task too daunting to try. At any rate, there was a thin layer of dust covering every book, bottle, and jar in the room. 

Koushiro sighed a sigh borne of relief, contentment, and frustration. He wasn't sure whether to be upset with himself for not being more organized or if he should feel content that he was in his own space once more. He was relieved to find that nothing had been touched. He pushed the heavy wooden door open all the way and then moved several piles of books out of the way so he could maneuver to the fireplace. 

The room was deceiving. All at once it appeared to be tiny and huge. Every wall was lined with bookshelves, save one, which was home to the fireplace, to which he moved now to light. There was only one window, a half-window that could barely be seen from the floor of the room and had a view of mostly the ground. A desk and a few small tables occupied the center of the room, and they, too, were mostly covered with books, scrolls, parchments, and a few bottles of ink. Koushiro might have been a wizard, but his true passion could be found in anything that caused him to wonder. 

Tentomon avoided the clutter and hazards of the room by flying swiftly over and across it to a perch on the upper sections of one of the bookshelves. He avoided, for the moment, commenting on the state of the room. It wouldn't really make Koushiro _mad_, but it wouldn't please him either. Instead, he just made himself comfortable and watched as his partner used the candle to ignite the fireplace, coaxing the embers gently until a flame had been lit. 

"I wonder if it's easier that way or with magic," a voice interrupted idly, a question playing at the edge of the tone. 

"I'm not certain," Koushiro answered, not taking his eyes off the fireplace yet. He prodded the wood for a few moments until a substantial flame had been lit, and then he rose and turned to face the doorway. "I don't often use magic to light a fire." 

"But you know how," Taichi pressed. "So why don't you?" 

The wizard shrugged lightly. "My magic long ago ceased to be amazing to me," he replied. "Most often it just tires me. It's easier, I suppose, to use a candle." 

Intrigued by this, Taichi wondered: "Magic no longer amazes you?" 

Koushiro frowned, considering the question. "Magic does amaze me," he admitted. "It's my own magic that does not. The magic of others amazes me. Such as, for example, the magic of our current enemy." 

_'And your own magic,'_ he added silently, remembering the conversation with Miyako. After a pause, he changed the subject. "You didn't come here to talk to me about magic, though. You came for this." He removed an envelope from the pack he'd brought with him, held it out. 

Taichi crossed the room in two steps, each of which barely avoided a pile of books. "Hikari?" he questioned. 

The wizard nodded, struggling with his pack to remove an amazingly large pile of books. "I'm sure Mimi's told you everything's fine." 

The other frowned. "Everyone seems to have this expectation that I'd go crazy if something happened." 

"I'm certain they just don't want you dashing off again," Koushiro assured him. "You're needed here, I'd expect." 

"You'd expect?" Tentomon interrupted, laughing to himself. "I'd assume!"

His partner shrugged. "I don't know what's been happening these past weeks," he admitted. "It's possible that he isn't." 

Taichi found that statement funny. "If I wasn't needed, I'd be on a vacation," he answered. "I begin to think that even the simplest decisions need my input, my approval." He shook his head in disbelief and turned to leave. "Thanks for the letter, Koushiro." 

***

Even though the sun was out, the cold remained, and so did the snow. A scarf, a cloak, boots, and a pair of gloves did less than Hikari would have liked to keep her warm, but the space in the forest that surrounded her was worth it. 

_'I don't know how I'd manage,'_ she thought with a sigh. _'Only a day in the cabin and I'm crazy with the need to escape. Day after day? I'd lose my mind.'_

Her feet made crunching noises in the snow as she made her way through the forest, bound for the Primary Village. It was the only safe place to go, and she hadn't been there in a while. Though with this cold, she wouldn't stay for more than an hour or so before she'd want to return to the warmth of the cabin. 

The woods were silent aside from the crunching of the snow. She became suddenly aware of the quiet and paused in her footsteps, listening intently. 

"Something wrong?" Daisuke asked, noticing her abrupt pause and turning in his own steps. She shook her head and gestured for him to be silent. He did so, listening intently as she did, no doubt, she thought, wondering if something was wrong. Wondering if something was following them, ready to attack. 

But the silence continued until all Hikari could hear was her own breathing, steadily in and out. It hadn't warmed enough for the snow to melt, so there was no falling snow as there would be deeper in the forest. And whatever digimon were around were no doubt taking shelter in the cold. Hikari stood, though, listening, until she could feel her legs go numb from the cold and knew she'd need to walk to warm herself. 

"Did you hear something?" Daisuke questioned, a concerned tone in his voice now. She sighed, shook her head, and wondered for a moment about telling him not to worry. Then put that aside. 

"No. It's just so quiet," she answered instead. "I was … absorbing it." 

He seemed to accept the answer, and they resumed walking, still as quietly as they had been, but at a slightly slower pace. She noticed him watching the trees with some concern, as though they were being watched. 

"Do you always do that?" she asked, surprising herself with the spoken words. When his response was a questioning expression, she elaborated. "Watch. To see if you're being watched?" 

The question had apparently surprised him, because he stopped in his tracks, considering it. "Not always," he said, half defending himself. "Mostly when I'm in unsafe places with you." 

"With me?" Hikari echoed. "Are you afraid of something? Because of who I am?" 

Daisuke thought this through further while they resumed walking, and she took the moment to marvel over this sight. A few years ago, he'd simply have answered, not thinking about the question first, but now he was obviously putting thought into his response. She wondered if it was experience or simple maturity that had brought about that change, and supposed it was a combination of the two. 

"Maybe," he replied after some time. "I'm not sure."

"Are you frightened of someone kidnapping me? Holding me for ransom?" Hikari questioned, pushing the line of thought deeper. She turned her head, facing forward, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye. "Or are you only afraid of my brother?" 

"Some part of it might just be your brother," he admitted, and she laughed. 

***

That's a little better. I actually did what I wanted for once, and got this part out before I have to return to school. Admittedly, very little actually _happens in this chapter, but still, it's an accomplishment. _

Just what was in the message Jun received? Why is she upset about it? Will these questions every be answered? Will this story ever be finished? 

^_^;; Eventually, I hope, the answer to the last one will be yes. 

Thanks for reading, reviewing, etc. I'll try to have the next part out soon, but no promises. Ja! 


	21. Attack of the Chimera

In the Dark

Part Twenty: Attack of the Chimera 

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: As always, plot is mine, characters are not. They're used without permission. Don't steal, don't sue. Thanks! ^_^

***

Night had almost fallen on the palace, forcing the candles to be lit or work to be finished. Koushiro, whose dark lab in the basement was nearly always without sunlight, barely noticed the change from day to night. He was buried in a thick book and so as oblivious to the passage of time as he was to the knocking on his door. 

Tentomon, half-sleeping atop one of the bookshelves, alerted his partner, and the wizard reluctantly put aside his reading and made his way through the piles of books to answer the door. He was surprised to find Jun on the other side, looking concerned, worried, and anxious. Alraumon, her plant-like partner, hovered behind her with a worried expression that he presumed was directed toward Jun.

"I'm hoping you can help me, Koushiro," she stated without preamble, following him into the basement room. "I don't know what to say." 

"Help you with what?" Koushiro questioned. He stepped nimbly around a pile of books without hardly noticing them and lifted another pile off a chair near the fireplace. 

"Thank you," Jun said, taking the seat. She looked around the room as though she might find answers there. "I don't know where to begin," she admitted. 

"Start with the letter," Alraumon advised, poking her partner slightly with one of her vine-like fingers. 

"Letter?" Koushiro echoed. He set the pile of books down on another pile and exchanged glances with Tentomon, who shrugged absently. 

Jun nodded, holding out a paper she'd clutched in her hand for the past two hours. "My brother sent me this," she explained. "Of course, you'd know that. You delivered it." 

"A letter worries you?" Tentomon wondered, taking to the air and landing on a tall stack of books closer to eye level. 

"No, no. What's _in_ the letter worries me," she corrected. "I – don't know how to explain." 

"What's written in the letter?" Koushiro questioned. He injected his voice with a patient tone, and took a seat himself. Already, he could see this might take a while. 

Jun sighed, took a deep breath, and then began: "As I'm sure you know, Daisuke and Ken were very close, for many years, and he's been…well, upset…by what's happened." She paused, uncertain again. 

The wizard nodded, prompting her to continue. 

"Well, it had occurred to me – and to Daisuke – that we should do something to inform Lady Ichijouji," she explained. "I don't know what official explanation has been sent to her, but surely, she has to know something. Daisuke wanted to go himself, to explain things, to maybe get some explanation. Unfortunately, that hasn't been possible." 

"No," Koushiro sighed. "We've been kept quite busy. I was lucky to come here." 

Jun nodded, more in acknowledgement than comprehension, and went on. "At any rate, he thought it might be best if I went and talked to her myself. I don't know Lady Ichijouji very well – neither does Daisuke and neither, I think, does Ken. Did Ken. I don't know how quite to refer to him." She sighed, took another breath, and forced herself onward. "I don't really know what to say to her," she admitted finally. "I don't know how to explain what's happened or to make her understand." 

The wizard leaned back in his chair and put a hand to his chin in a thoughtful expression. "I'm not sure how to explain either, Jun, and that's what makes it so difficult. I'm not sure that even Ichijouji knows or understands what's happened." 

"You must have _some_ idea, though," she interrupted, half-pleading. "It doesn't make sense that suddenly, he's evil, he's powerful, and dark. It won't make sense to Lady Ichijouji, either."

Koushiro was silent for a period before he answered. "The best explanation that we can give is that he's being controlled," he admitted, and suddenly recalled an exhausted early morning a few months before. "Do you remember," he asked, "the demon that appeared just before the King was destroyed?" 

Jun thought deeply for a moment, thinking back to a night that she'd had difficulty recalling the morning after. She'd been exhausted – and she hadn't even fought – and she didn't understand completely what had happened. She vaguely remembered a large, dark creature appearing from nowhere. "Maybe…," she answered. 

"I don't know if you recall, though I'm certain your brother does, but the creature was called Demon, and from what I've been able to gather – which isn't much – he's at the core of dark magic and darkness in general. And he had a particular interest in Ken." Frowning thoughtfully, Koushiro began to try to recall the events of that night and early morning. 

***

The snow was a bit crisper under Hikari's feet when they left Primary Village. The sun was beginning to sink in the sky, and the temperature – already quite low to begin with – had dropped even lower. Rather than the slow, casual walk they'd taken earlier, the trip back was more hurried. 

When the cabin was in view, Hikari slowed her speed. She wasn't in much of a hurry to return, and only the cold and the threat of night forced her to keep moving her feet at all. She wrapped her arms around her, shivering slightly, and wished it wasn't cold.  "I wish," she said, softly, so softly that the silence wasn't broken and Daisuke didn't turn a puzzled glance her way. 

She stopped her feet, despite herself, and felt a quiver of some sort of dread run down her spine. She shook her head, telling herself it was only the cold causing her to shiver, but couldn't make her feet move again. 

"Hikari? What's wrong?" Daisuke questioned. This time, she wasn't listening to the silence, even he could be certain of that. "What is it?" 

"I don't know," she answered, her voice little more than a whisper. "Something…." 

Inwardly, she guessed Daisuke was berating himself for telling V-mon and Tailmon to stay in the cabin. Even their presence would have reassured her. She tightened her arms, her hold upon herself. "I can't explain it," she apologized, softly. 

He took a step closer to her, obviously confused by the sudden fear. She felt it so tangibly that it must surely be spilling out of her mind, heart, and body into the rest of the forest, the rest of the world. "If we go back inside, we'll be safe," he said after a moment. 

She turned then, looked at him, and felt a slight break in the fear she felt, the fear that had come on so suddenly. "Are you certain?" 

He nodded, grinned in a way that she knew displayed false confidence, but was reassuring at the same time. "Positive," he said, brightly, and she knew that behind that he was concerned, worried, though more for her than himself.  Hikari took a step towards him, hoping that his mere presence would drive off the fear. 

And then they heard the roar, the crashing of trees that split the silence in two and brought Hikari's fears into full view. 

The giant creature flew, with two sets of giant wings, over the treetops. It made no noise but a loud, screeching, angry roar. Daisuke couldn't wrap his mind around what, precisely, the creature was, but could tell by the way it was flying directly toward them that it wasn't friendly. 

A blast of fire accompanied the next roar, setting the upper parts of the trees on fire and lighting the forest. Within the cabin, only a short distance away, there was a commotion, and noises could be heard. 

Hikari could only stare, her mind as numb as her cold toes as the flying monster let loose another breath of fire, alighting the top of the cabin. 

***

Miyako was completely absorbed in her book when the first of a series of screeching calls broke the silence and startled all within hearing distance. Caught off guard, she wobbled a bit on the rafters, but managed not to fall. 

"What was that?" 

"Sounded dangerous, whatever it was," Jyou answered, and immediately made his way to the shelves on the wall that held the medical supplies. 

Takeru let the mostly unfinished table fall to the ground and began dressing to go outside. "Stay in here where it's safer then," he said to Jyou. "Come on, Patamon." 

"I'm coming, too," Iori put in, already having folded his map project and beginning to put on his own winter clothes. 

"I'll be right behind you," Miyako added, having regained her balance. The door had just shut after them when the second roar once more caused her to nearly fall. 

"Miyako…," Hawkmon said in a voice that sounded a bit like a warning. 

"I'm fine, I'm fine," she answered, brushing aside his concerns. "Haven't fallen yet." 

Her feathered partner shook his head. "No. Look above you." 

With a bit of apprehension, Miyako turned her head to face directly upward. The roof, made of sturdy logs like the rest of the cabin, was but a short distance above her head. For a moment, she didn't quite comprehend what there was to be seen. Then, just above her head, a flash of an orange colored something caught her eye. 

"Fire!" she yelled, forgetting her magical training and every one of the battles she'd been in and screaming in pure fear. Panicking, Miyako scrambled as quickly as she could down from the rafters, not pausing until she was on solid ground. "Do something!" she ordered, half squealing. 

"Do what?" Gomamon echoed blankly, and she turned to see the white digimon staring at her with a vacant expression. 

"Can't _you_ do something?" Tailmon interrupted, yawning. She'd been dozing near one of the stoves before the commotion, which had interrupted her sleep. Now it was Miyako's turn to stare blankly. 

"With magic?" V-mon added, watching the flames with some amount of interest. 

***

Even with coat, boots, gloves, scarf, and hat, Takeru felt the chill of winter immediately after stepping outside the cabin. Or perhaps the chill that ran down his spine was caused by the ear-splitting screech that shook the forest. 

"Look!" Patamon shouted when the noise had faded. "The trees are on fire!" 

"I think that thing might be the cause of it," Iori said, pointing in another direction, where a monstrous creature was flying directly toward them, fire appearing to spew from its open jaws. 

"I think it might be cause of us running out of the way, too," Armadimon advised, already making his way toward the forest. 

***

"I don't know how to stop a fire!" Miyako answered. "I can start one, but I haven't a clue how to stop one."

"Maybe that wind spell?" Hawkmon asked, but Gomamon disagreed. 

"That will only spread the flames. What we need is a spell that can create water. Or rain. Don't you know any weather spells?" 

Miyako shook her head. "I know very few spells. I can start a fire, I can produce a shield – albeit a weak shield, and I can use that wind spell. That's three. I've only been aware of my magic for a few months. There wasn't time to learn spells." 

"Fine time for Koushiro to go away," Jyou muttered. 

Tailmon had been silent during this period and slipped off to one of the back "rooms." Curious, V-mon had followed her, wondering if she had some sort of plan. Now both returned, carrying a book between them. "Might this help?" the feline digimon questioned. 

Miyako frowned in thought and took the book from them. "It has many spells," she answered, flipping through the pages quickly. 

***

There was a long moment of silence before Hikari was able to speak, and in that long moment, Daisuke grabbed her hand and pulled her behind a tree, instinctively trying to get them out of the creature's line of sight. This action was nearly as surprising as the appearance of the creature, and so Hikari didn't protest. 

"What _is_ that thing?" he questioned, peering around the edge of the trunk, silently berating himself yet again for leaving their partners in the cabin. 

Hikari shook her head, peering around the opposite side. "I don't know," she answered, surprised to find her voice functioning. "Does it work for Ken?" 

He shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what it is. The wings, the legs…." He trailed off. 

"They look as though they belong to different pieces of other digimon," Hikari finished. "Is that possible? Is it possible that Ken created it?" 

"I don't know," Daisuke repeated. "Koushiro would have some sort of theory – an idea. I can't imagine what the magic is capable of. Creating something like that? Perhaps." 

***

"_Can _we fight it?" Takeru asked. "Should we even try? I've never seen anything like it before." 

"Neither have I," Patamon put in. 

"Nor I," Armadimon added. 

"We have to try," Iori insisted. "Otherwise it may burn down the cabin." He turned his gaze toward the log building they'd called home and watched as the flames slowly spread over the roof. 

Takeru shook his head. "Why don't they get out? Don't they notice the flames?" 

The younger Chosen shrugged, and pulled his digivice from his pocket. "Digimental up!" he called. 

A bright light made seeing anything impossible for a moment. "Armadimon armor evolve!" his partner called, and then the light faded. "Digmon!" 

Takeru frowned, wondering if they had even a chance, but reached in his own pocket. "Digimental up!" 

"Patamon armor evolve! Pegasmon!" 

***

"That looks promising," Tailmon commented.  Miyako had set the book on the makeshift table Iori had been using as a desk and was flipping through the pages quickly. 

"A water spell," Gomamon said, noticing the drawings of water. "Might work." 

"I hope it's not _too much_ water, though," Hawkmon put in cautiously. 

"Can't be too much if it puts out the fire," V-mon stated, glancing upward toward the roof. The fire was slowly spreading across the wood. 

"That I agree with," Jyou decided. "Do that spell, if you can, and then we'll deal with cleaning up the water afterward." 

Another roar came from outside just then. "And I can go help Takeru and Iori with whatever is causing that," Miyako added, reading over the words to the spell.

***

"Since we cannot fight it, it might be best for us to get to safety." Hikari spoke cautiously, because she knew that the idea of retreating from a fight was not one that Daisuke was usually open to. 

He wasn't now, and she could tell this by the expression on his face, which was one of great reluctance. "And leave the cabin to burn?" he questioned, gesturing toward the fire, which had spread across the roof. 

Hikari shook her head. "What could either of us do to help?" she returned. Below, two bright lights flashed in quick succession as both Patamon and Armadimon evolved to begin fighting the enemy. "I doubt we could make it to our partners, and without them, we're defenseless." 

For a moment, there was silence, and they both watched grimly as Pegasmon and Digmon began to battle the unidentified monster. Takeru, safely in the air aboard his partner, was orchestrating aerial attacks aimed mainly at the creature's upper body. Iori, in a more vulnerable position on the ground, was directing Digmon to aim for the legs and feet in an effort to topple the monster.  Though some progress was being made, a victory wasn't a certainty.

"Where's Miyako?" Daisuke questioned, suddenly realizing who was absent from the conflict. 

"Probably at this very moment learning a spell that will douse the flames," Hikari answered after a moment of thought. "They'll be fine, Daisuke. If we jump to help them then we'll only get ourselves hurt and maybe put them in _more_ danger." 

***

Creating water from pure nothing took a fairly great amount of magic, and the style of the spell was nothing that Miyako had ever attempted before, on her own _or_ with the help of her mentor. She puzzled over the words for a long moment, trying to make sense of the complex hand movements. Like most magic books, it was extraordinarily unhelpful for learning spells, but very helpful for cataloguing ones that were already mastered, but tedious to memorize. 

With Jyou and the four digimon looking on, Miyako read the spell over five times before she dared attempt. Again, she wished Koushiro had not left. 

As with the spells she had tried before, the first step was simply to strengthen the aura of the spell-caster. This was a task that Miyako had mastered long before, and completed it with ease. The next step involved manipulating the aura in the correct direction, which was also fairly easy. 

The step after that was the difficult one. It involved converting the energy-based aura into a liquid form that very closely resembled water. An easier spell involved using the aura to channel water from a nearby source – such as an ocean or lake – but the only water nearby was in frozen form as snow. 

Converting the aura to liquid was much more difficult than simply creating the spark of fire or expanding it to create a shield or even coaxing the wind into levitation or message-carrying. The spell required Miyako to move her fingers in new and complex ways the likes of which she hadn't known were quite possible before that moment. But she managed them, and although the movements were clumsy, she sensed that they were producing the desired result. 

From nowhere, it seemed, a drop of water fell on the roof, and then another. Before long, many drops were falling on the raging flames, and then many more, until it was no longer many drops, but a continuous stream, drowning the fighting fire in a deluge of water that came not from the sky or anywhere else, but from magic and from Miyako's own will. 

Soon, the cabin was no longer ablaze, but simply smoking, tiny tendrils of smoke lifting from the top of the cabin and rising toward the clouds.

***

The sun had completely dropped from the sky, leaving only the moon and the stars as light. The moon was bright and the clouds were few, but the woods were frightening at night even with that help.  

"Are you certain we're going in the right direction?" Hikari questioned, panting slightly, when they paused for breath. 

"No," Daisuke admitted, frowning at the surroundings. "It feels warmer, and I think that's a bad sign." 

"Warmer? That could mean we're heading toward the desert. That would be bad."

"Very bad," he agreed. "We're supposed to be heading to safety. I doubt the desert is safe. It is, however, warmer, and then we won't freeze." 

"Let's try turning around then, and heading in the opposite direction."

***

"Hawkmon armor evolve! Holsmon!" 

The giant bird soared smoothly over the cabin and caught sight of the monstrous creature. If it had been in an unpleasant mood before, it was very angry now, and it was lashing out, swinging its powerful arms, each one narrowly missing a collision with Takeru and Pegasmon. Flames spewed from its jaws, which Iori and Armadimon narrowly avoided. 

"Miyako, look out!" Takeru shouted. Pegasmon flew toward the ground to avoid one swinging arm, and then higher, and the other arm was heading directly toward Miyako. 

Holsmon dodged easily, and Miyako pressed herself flat against her partner's feathers as he flew higher, above the creature. But the creature could fly as well, and so it was useless to try to avoid him that way. 

"I don't think we've got much of a chance against him," Iori called from the ground, where he and Digmon were taking shelter behind a large boulder. 

"Maybe we might if Hikari and Daisuke were here," Takeru noted. He looked around, searching for the missing members of their team. "But you're right, Iori, he's too powerful." 

"We don't even know what he is!" Miyako agreed. "But where do we run to?" 

***

They'd changed direction many times, but the temperature had continued to rise, and when Hikari and Daisuke emerged from the trees, they could see the moon clearly across the vast expanse of desert. 

"I get the feeling we couldn't avoid coming here," Hikari sighed, leaning against a tree. "But why?" 

"Some sort of magic?" he wondered, sinking himself down into the sand. He wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Now what?" 

"Now," said a voice neither recognized, "you die." 

***

Erm…. Ah Yes, the clichéd cliffhanger ending. Joy. 

This story begins to come to a close, finally. ^_^;;; Admittedly, I could have written more in this chapter, but it would have taken more time, and I wanted to keep the time in between chapters down to a minimum. Don't know how well I'll succeed at that, but I'll try. 

Anyway, enjoy, thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing, and come back for the next part! Till then, ja ne! ^_^


	22. Destruction, Devastation, Diversion

In the Dark 

Part Twenty-two: Destruction, Devastation, Diversion

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Characters do not belong to me, which would be pretty obvious to anyone who observes that I write in English. Plot belongs to me, though. Don't steal, don't sue. Thanks!

***

Iori's brow knitted into a worried expression, but he said nothing, made no noise. Dared not move. Takeru, less than an arm's length away, could barely hear him breathe. 

The screeching roar sounded again. The creature was angry. It had been angry before, but then it had found something to be angry _at_.  Then it was pleased about its anger, used it for a purpose. Now, its prey had disappeared, and that made it even angrier. 

Anger was really the only emotion it was capable of. 

Rage turned into fire, and the destructive fire used most of the trees around the cabin as fuel to turn into a larger fire. Trees didn't run, didn't fight back, just took the fire as easily as they took the sun and rain and wind. If they suffered, they certainly weren't letting anyone know about it. Trees were the strong, silent types. 

There was no one left to frighten with anger, or chase after, or set on fire. This made the creature angrier. It turned and flew back where it had come from, because now it was angry with its creator. 

***

The moon was bright, but without the help of a torch, the small creature wasn't clearly visible in the darkness of the desert. 

"Die?" Daisuke echoed blankly. 

"Die," answered the voice. "I'll kill you both."

"No," returned a different voice. "You won't." 

Daisuke relaxed. This seemed more pleasant. 

"I won't?" questioned the first voice. "Why?" 

"Killing humans is not allowed." 

This statement produced grumblings from the first voice. "Fine then. We'll take them prisoner."

***

It was Iori, standing behind her, who supported Miyako when she felt weak and nearly lost her balance. It was Takeru who took her hand and tried to pull her upright again. "Are you all right?" one of them asked. She wasn't certain which. 

"Too many spells," Miyako muttered. Actually, it was more like too many _new_ spells, but that was more explanation than she could manage. She felt light headed. Jyou would have suggested she sit, but there wasn't anything to sit on. 

The roof of the cabin was on fire again, but there was no one inside it, and most of the belongings had been removed, so it didn't matter as much now. No one asked Miyako to put it out again. 

***

A hazy winter sun rose over the snow-covered forest, its warm rays barely penetrating the dense fog and doing little to warm the creatures within. 

Miyako had slept on the cold ground, wrapped in blankets salvaged from the cabin, now destroyed. She awoke with the sun, feeling weak and stiff from the exertion of the night before. Someone had built a fire the night before, but it was only a smoking pile of twigs now in the center of ten sleeping figures. 

She sat up, feeling the chill immediately, and wrapped her cloak around her, pulling the fur-lined hood over her head. Some hunger clawed at the inside of her stomach, but most of her exhaustion had evaporated. She shut her eyes, testing the strength of her aura and her magic and wishing she knew a spell to warm herself. 

***

The heat of the day returned with the first light of the morning, and Daisuke began to clearly see the creatures that had been leading them through the endless desert for the whole night. Unable to see, he'd tripped over rocks and sand dunes the whole way along. The darkness had made any thought of escape impossible, as he'd learned on the first attempt. 

In the dim sunlight, however, it was possible to see that they were Veggiemon and Red Veggiemon, strange yellow and red plant digimon with long arms that they swung like whips whenever their prisoners wandered off course, whether accidentally or with intent to escape. Apparently, they had better vision in darkness than humans did, for they'd had no trouble gauging their direction in the black night. For some reason, possibly related to the spirals each one wore either on its arm or around its body, they didn't seem to need sleep, either, for they'd marched on through the silent night without tiring. 

The humans, though, were exhausted. 

***

When Takeru awoke, the fire had been relit, and it was the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes. Just beyond it, Miyako was sitting in what he'd come to realize was a meditative posture. Her eyes were shut, but her expression was one of concentration.

Iori and Jyou were quietly rummaging through the foodstuffs they'd salvaged and trying to make as little noise as possible while they discussed what might be a viable option for the morning meal. Takeru sat up, rubbing his eyes, and glanced toward the ruins of the cabin. He recalled what effort it had taken to build it and felt a brief spark of anger that the product of such hard work had been so easily destroyed. 

The good things – if there could be good things about that morning – were that the monster from the night before had not returned and most everything of value had been saved from the cabin before it was destroyed. What spell books Koushiro had left behind were too heavy for them to carry, but they were apparently flame-retardant, as they had not burned. 

Takeru stood, stretching his legs, and joined Iori and Jyou at the opposite side of the fire. Having decided upon some fish for the morning meal, Iori was placing a few pieces in a pan of appropriate size while Jyou searched through the available vegetables, most of which had frozen during the night. 

The meal was half cooked when Miyako returned to the world. By then, the digimon had also awakened and were making more noise than the silent forest had heard in some time. With few words to each other, however, the humans ate the breakfast and drank cool water that came from melted snow. 

"Now what?" Takeru wondered. 

***

Hikari was so weary that her eyes were closing even while she walked, as though she might fall asleep while walking and crash down to the sand. Her warm winter boots were filled with sand and the soles were worn from the long walk. They both abandoned their winter wraps not long after dawn, when the sun became too much, but even without it she was hot, and the sun was harsh on her skin.  

They had no idea of where they were being led. The Veggiemon had offered no explanation other than they were being taken prisoner. They could easily discern _why_, as each of them wore a spiral or a ring, but they could not figure out to where. Each attempt Daisuke had made to ask the question had been met either with stony silence or contact with the whip-like appendage. Eventually, he had given up. 

Now, in the bright sunlight, the view they had also yielded no clues as to their destination. All that could be seen was sand, piled in dunes and blown about in the wind. When she turned, Hikari could see the marks the Veggiemon made in the sand stretch back as far as she could see. 

Her legs felt like mush and she was fairly certain she wouldn't be able to take another step. Nevertheless, she did, because there was no choice but to keep moving. 

***

"There's still been no sign of Daisuke or Hikari," Iori reported, the expression on his face grim. "I'm not certain if that's good or bad." 

Takeru sighed. "I'd like to think that they saw the fight and hurried back to safety at Primary Village," he stated. "But somehow, I doubt it's quite that simple. And I think they would have returned by now." He glanced upward, toward the sun. It had been day for a few hours now. 

"If we attempt to go find them, wherever they may be, then we cannot bring everything with us," Iori added. "And we cannot leave it behind." He gestured to their surroundings. Koushiro's magic books, still within what had once been the cabin, were safe, and probably would be from whatever came that way, but the other objects were not so lucky. 

And there were many other objects. Each of the cabin residents had a trunk that contained their belongings and extra clothes, and those had been saved, which meant there were six trunks altogether. Three crates of food had been salvaged, and another crate filled with medicines and bandages that Jyou had felt were the most necessary of his large collection. Iori's map project had been saved, and tucked safely within his trunk. Anything else that had been within the cabin had been destroyed, save Koushiro's books. 

Jyou nodded grimly in agreement to this. "We didn't hurry as we did to save those things only to lose them again." 

"Would it be possible to leave some things at the village?" Tailmon wondered. She was anxious, antsy, and eager to be moving if only so she could be reunited with Hikari. 

"Maybe," Iori admitted. "But it may take us a day to get them there. We haven't a carriage or cart or anything with wheels, and there's far too much here for us to carry it all." 

"Maybe a shelter?" V-mon asked. "Something which would hide it?" 

"I'm afraid that might take time we don't have," Iori answered, his frown growing more severe on his face. He sighed deeply and shook his head. "We might send for help, but the request could take three days to get there and another would pass before help arrived." 

Tailmon scoffed. "They could be dead by then," she muttered. V-mon scowled. 

Takeru had been considering V-mon's suggestion. "I think we ought to try to hide the things," he spoke up. "It may take time, but it's our best option, and it's better than waiting for something to happen. Perhaps a hole? Dug in the ground?"  He glanced toward Armadimon as he spoke. 

***

The sun was high in the sky, and the desert even more desolate than before, when they stopped. The three Veggiemon walking in front of the human prisoners suddenly turned about and swung their whip-like arms, stopping them in their tracks and causing them to step back a few paces. 

"Are you _certain_ we cannot kill them?" one of the red-skinned creatures asked. He had a cruel look in his eyes, even crueler than the rest. 

A larger Veggiemon swung the whip-like arm, which sent the smaller creature flying to the ground. The smaller digimon grumbled in a soft voice, rubbing the back of its sore head, but didn't repeat the question. 

Taking advantage of the break, both Hikari and Daisuke collapsed into the sand, wiping the sweat from their faces and wishing fruitlessly that there was some sort of shade nearby.

The Veggiemon appeared to want a break as well. Without speaking, several of them moved off behind a dune while a select few were left with the humans. They stood in a tight circle around their prisoners, their eyes glowing bright red. 

The air was thick, hot, and still. "If there was a sandstorm," Daisuke thought aloud. "We could escape." 

"We would die," Hikari answered. "We would be buried alive within the sand and we would die." 

"Who's to say we won't die anyway?" he returned. "The Veggiemon won't kill us, but…."

"But you think that Ken would?" She turned to face him, eyes wide. "Surely not!"

He sighed, shook his head. "I don't know what he would or would not do anymore," he answered glumly. "I'm not sure if any of Ken is left." 

In the distance, Hikari thought she could hear a screeching sound, but when she turned her head, it dissipated. "Some of him _must_ be left. You mustn't think like that," she said instead. He didn't answer.

She sighed. "I've got sand in my boots, between my toes, even in my hair. There's been no wind; I'm not sure how that's happened." 

Daisuke was silent for a moment. "Did you hear that?" he asked. 

Before she could reply, a shadow passed over them, blocking the rays of the sun for a moment. Looking up, both humans and the Veggiemon could see the monstrous creature fly overhead and then soar off into the distance and the end of the desert. It screeched again, loudly, and the sound filled the arid space.

"That's the monster we saw back in the woods," Hikari realized. 

The Veggiemon had seen the monster as well, and it incited them to action. The circle which surrounded their prisoners began to urge them to their feet again, though without words, only with swings of their whip-like arms. 

"I don't think they very much like it, either," Daisuke observed, getting to his feet. "They're quite upset." 

Without waiting for the others who had moved off, the plant digimon began their march again, this time at a faster rate of speed, flailing their arms about angrily and hurrying their prisoners along.

***

With Digmon's assistance, the construction of a pit deep enough to hide the salvaged materials was quick despite the frozen ground. The trunks, the food, and the medicinal supplies were hurried within. Miyako and many of the digimon worked quickly to gather leaves and branches and cover over the hiding space. Then Takeru and Jyou shoveled snow over the top so that soon the spot was completely indistinguishable from the rest of the forest ground. 

By the time they had finished, it was nearly noon, and valuable time had been used. A small meal was cooked while they all prepared for a journey to come, and Miyako prepared to cast the wind spell in hopes she would somehow find their missing friends. 

***

A cool breeze seemed to come from nowhere, whipping the wind about and scattering the sand. The Veggiemon were even more disturbed by this event than they had been by the monster's appearance. Hikari was grateful for the cooling air, but not for the sand. 

She scolded Daisuke over the sound of the Veggiemons' confused, angered shouting. "You wished for a sandstorm, didn't you?" 

"This is no sandstorm," he answered, pulling the edge of his shirt over his face and wishing he hadn't discarded his cloak. The tiny grains of sand beat through the thin fabric and assaulted his arms. The back of his neck had thousands of miniature pinpricks. "This is only a minor disturbance." He was grinning as he spoke. 

"You're insane," she told him, certain she had spoken those words before and would again. 

The wind calmed for a moment, long enough for the Veggiemon to take stock of the situation and urge them walking again, still at a quickened pace. "Don't you remember what caused the last sandstorm we were caught in?" he asked as they walked. 

"The last – Miyako!" Hikari suddenly recalled. "You think she was responsible for that, just now?" 

"If she was, we'll soon find out," Daisuke replied. 

The wind suddenly appeared again, this time with more intensity. A whirlwind of sand formed around them, and it became impossible to see. Through the roaring of the sand, Hikari could hear the Veggiemon screaming, though she couldn't tell if it was in anger or pain now. Perhaps both.

"A lucky break!" Daisuke shouted over the roar. "Let's go!" 

"Go where?" she asked, but not loudly enough. He took her hand and pulled her toward the wall of sand that surrounded them. She shut her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut. 

***

"There's no time to eat. We've got to hurry." 

"Is there danger?" Tailmon stood immediately, noticing the look on Miyako's face. 

"They're in the desert. I've tried to buy them some time, but there isn't much I can do from here. We've got to get out there as soon as possible."

"What's happened? Why are they in the desert?" V-mon asked, but Miyako waved the questions aside. 

"There isn't _time_," she repeated. "I'll explain later. We've got to go." 

***

Short, but sweet. More coming soon. Stay tuned. 

Thanks for reading, reviewing. Enjoy! 


	23. The End is Near

In The Dark

Part Twenty-three: The End is Near

***

Standard Disclaimer Thingie: Author (moi)  is not the owner of characters within, only the pathetic attempt at plot. Even that is mostly borrowed. Digimon and all related components are property of someone else. Don't sue, don't steal. If you do, you shall face the wrath of Chimeramon. 

Chimeramon: ::growls::

See?

***

Takeru shielded his eyes in the bright sunlight. He was warm, but he didn't remove his winter cloak. He wished for a hat. "I don't see anything!" he shouted. "Are you certain this is the place?" 

"Positive," Miyako called in response. 

"Perhaps we ought to land," Holsmon suggested. 

A few moments later, they were on the ground. Takeru climbed down from Pegasmon and wiped his brow with the back of his right hand. "I don't see any sign of life, Miyako," he said. "Perhaps you should cast the spell again." 

Miyako was hesitant. "I'm not sure a wind spell is the best thing to do in the desert," she said cautiously. "It will most certainly create another sandstorm." 

"All the same, if it's the only thing to do, it's the only thing to do," Tailmon inserted from her perch atop Pegasmon. "We can take to the air and be safer there than on the ground." 

V-mon, who'd traveled with Miyako aboard Holsmon, agreed: "At least in the air we won't get buried with the sand." 

***

"Now what?" Hikari questioned. They had escaped the sandstorm and left the Veggiemon behind, but they were still exhausted, still without shelter, and still hungry and thirsty. Terribly thirsty. They also had little clue as to where they were. 

Daisuke sank wearily into the sand. They'd run through the thick sand for some distance now, and the exhaustion was heavy on them both. "We need to find shelter," he answered, his throat dry. He cleared it, but it didn't relieve the pain. They needed water. 

Hikari sighed, sitting beside him. She removed her boots and emptied the small pile of sand that was within each one. Her face and neck were red from the sun exposure, but there was no escape, nothing that could be done. "Do you think it was Miyako that caused the sandstorm?" she wondered. 

He rested on his back in the sand, digging with both arms, hoping the deeper sand would be cooler. "I don't know," he answered. "I think it was too convenient for it to not be." He shut his eyes, exhaustion catching up with him. 

"Don't sleep!" Hikari scolded, poking him. "You mustn't sleep. You'll be baked to death." 

"Just a few minutes," he mumbled, half-pleading, but making an effort to sit up at the same time. Hikari grabbed his hand and pulled, jolting him upright. The dry sand fell in clumps from his covered arms but stuck in the sweat on the back of his neck. "Which way do we go?" he asked, rubbing his neck to remove the gritty granules. 

The wind had done one unfortunate thing. It had erased whatever tracks the Veggiemon had made leading them across the desert. 

"I'm not certain it matters," Hikari answered. "We just need to keep moving." 

A light breeze, so light she barely noticed it, flew past her, sending a strand of her hair into the air. Daisuke caught sight of it as he pulled himself to his feet and waited, but there was no further wind. 

"This way?" he suggested, facing the direction the wind had come from. 

They'd not taken more than a few steps when they began to hear a screeching sound. At first, it was impossible to tell which direction it came from, but after a moment, the noise grew louder, and then it was followed by another call, also in anger. 

A deeper, growl sounded, and then a high screech. After a moment of listening, Hikari recognized the noise. 

"It's back!" she realized a moment before Daisuke did. Instinctively, both flattened themselves in the sand, hoping to avoid notice. 

A shadow fell again over them and then zipped away. Heat built up, so that the very air seemed to be burning. Another shadow fell over them, but the heat didn't lessen, and then it, too, flew quickly away, a screeching call of anger echoing in its wake. 

When Hikari regained her feet, she could see why the heat had intensified. Around them were high, leaping flames. The desert was on fire, although there was nothing but sand to burn. Nothing, that is, except two defenseless humans. 

"Airdramon!" Daisuke realized, noticing the serpentine figure sailing away. The monster they'd seen in the woods had been first, but now the Airdramon was indeed on its tail, following at a short distance. 

The breeze blew again, lightly, dancing on the tops of the flames, and then with intensity, extinguishing the inferno. The sand rose into the air, shifting with the wind. 

"This _must_ be Miyako's doing," Hikari stated with certainty, watching the flames die. "I don't believe our luck could be that good." 

***

"That monster? Here? But why?" Takeru asked. "And what would the Airdramon want with it?" 

Miyako shook her head, not fully understanding. "I don't know," she admitted. "All I know is what the wind told me. They can't be far from here, I'm certain of it." 

Takeru wasn't in the least bit certain of how Miyako could tell _where_ they were, but he didn't answer. Instead, he stared out at the endless expanse of sands, searching for some sign of life. 

"Daisuke!" V-mon called loudly as he could. 

"There!" Tailmon shouted, a triumphant tone to her voice. Far below, they could see two sunburned, tattered figures standing in the midst of the sea of sand, peering up at the sky. 

They landed a moment later to a joyful reunion. 

"We owe you our _lives_, Miyako," Daisuke told her after he'd drank half Takeru's canteen of water. "The sandstorms – we would not have been able to escape the Veggiemon without it." 

"Veggiemon?" Takeru echoed. 

"Escape?" V-mon asked, concerned. "You were captured by Veggiemon?" 

"Why _else_ would they trek through the desert all night?" Tailmon returned. 

***

Some distance away– far, but not _too_ far – there was an oasis in the midst of the arid wasteland. A few Veggiemon had called this place home, and a few other desert-dwelling digimon had used it as shelter, but since the Kaiser had claimed the desert as his own it had been home to nothing but plants. 

The plants – lush, green grass and a few tall trees – made their home at the edge of a swift river that flowed defiantly through the area, heedless of the emptiness that surrounded it. 

Submarimon had been pleased with the river and pleased even more with the opportunity to travel within it. Iori arrived at the oasis with a small amount of food, medicine, and other supplies tugged behind them on a makeshift raft constructed by him and Jyou. He'd tried to convince the doctor to come along, riding upon the raft, but Jyou had declined (much to Gomamon's dismay) and decided to wait at Primary Village instead should Koushiro return, seeking explanations. 

The day had been a long one, and the night would be even longer. When Miyako and Takeru arrived at the oasis (Miyako's wind spell having located it in the first place) it was nearing sunset. The days were shorter even in the desert, for it was winter here as well. Miyako arrived first, carrying a mostly-asleep Hikari as a passenger, and then had to return for Daisuke, who was asleep by the time he arrived. 

While the two desert-travelers slept, the others prepared a meal from the supplies Iori had brought. Every so often, they could hear the loud screech of Airdramon and the deeper, rumbling growl of the monster it fought. 

***

During the night, the desert burned. The two monsters fought. Few slept. 

A small green digimon with six tiny legs watched the fight, and watched his master watch the fight. From hours travel away they could see the fires and hear the screams and shouts of the battle. Wormmon did his best to stifle the shivers that continued to run through his body. 

The Kaiser was furious. Wormmon knew that he was afraid as well, because the Chimera's battle could destroy him. Whatever control he had once had over the monster was gone, and there was only the Airdramon to defend him now. 

***

Hikari awoke shortly after the sun had risen. The oasis was as cold as the desert during the night, but when the sun began to rise, the temperature did as well. She awoke to find that her skin felt painful after the exposure to the hot sun. 

Miyako was awake already, but meditating, and if she noticed that Hikari was awake she made no indication of it. She sat, eyes shut, legs folded beneath her, a small fire burning a few feet away. No one else appeared to be awake. 

Feeling stiff and hungry, Hikari crawled the few feet to the clean, clear river and drank her fill of the cool water. It felt soothing to her skin, so she splashed a bit on her face.

"Try some of this," Iori's said, startling her even with his quiet voice. He held a small box in front of him. 

"What is it?" Hikari asked, reluctant to leave the coolness of the water. 

"Some herbs," the boy replied. "Jyou says that the juice from these plants will help your skin feel better." He opened the box, removed a few green stalks, and snapped them cleanly in half. A small amount of juice trickled from the plant and pooled in a small puddle in his open palm. 

***

"I haven't heard the noise of the battle for a while now," Takeru said during breakfast. "I wonder what that means." 

"I'm not sure I should be saying this, but I hope it means that the Airdramon got rid of that monster," Miyako said. 

"I'd say that," Hawkmon agreed. "We have a better chance at defeating an army of Airdramon than – whatever that monster is." 

"It is evil, that's what it is," Hikari said, her voice almost a whisper. "The Veggiemon were afraid of it, and I'm afraid of what that means." 

"It means that Ken's afraid of it," Daisuke said, not looking up from applying the soothing plants to his own, sunburned neck. 

"Afraid of it?" V-mon echoed. "Why would Ken be afraid of it?" 

Takeru agreed. "I thought for certain that Ken had – had _created_ that monster. At the very least, he must control it, right? Otherwise, he would have destroyed it." 

"If Ken controlled it, he would send it after us, right?" Patamon asked. 

"He would," Daisuke agreed, still rubbing the salve into his skin, "and he did control it at one point."

"But now he doesn't," Iori noted. "Why?" 

"Maybe the monster is too strong for him?" Armadimon suggested. 

***

The first of many Airdramon had been defeated, deleted in a massive explosion above the desert floor not long after midnight. 

Chimeramon had been only enraged. His victory did not please him, nor did it tire him. He was not capable of exhaustion. 

The Kaiser had hundreds of Airdramon at his disposal. If each of them failed to bring down the monster, there were thousands of other controlled slaves that could be brought against it. 

The monster had disappeared shortly before dawn, screeching, roaring with rage. 

The Kaiser came to a conclusion. One Airdramon would not be sufficient to defeat the Chimera. 

He had more than one Airdramon. He had an army. 

Now, he would rouse that army. 

***

Miyako shook her head. "I haven't been able to locate it recently, but the first time I cast the wind spell I saw it clearly."  
"Then you _could_ point us in the right direction, correct?" Takeru asked.

"I think I could."

"Wait," Iori interrupted. "Are we sure that now is a good time? What if we cannot find the base? What if it has been moved?" 

There was a moment of hesitant silence. 

"We'll never get another chance like this," Daisuke stated. "Any controlled digimon will be trying to stop the monster. The base may be unguarded, or, at the very least, guarded less than at other times. It could be our only opportunity. We ought to take advantage of it." 

"And if the base is gone?" Iori challenged.

"Then the base is gone." Daisuke shrugged. "But we must try."

There was silence again, as every one present considered what had been said. 

Hikari said, "Miyako, you cannot guarantee that the base is still there. Why can you no longer sense it?" 

"I'm not sure," the young mage replied. "I think that it may be that Ken has increased whatever shields prevent it from being seen. It may be because I have not searched hard enough for it. It was only by luck that I saw it the first time." 

"Yet you think you can find it again?" 

"I think I can find the space where it was. I don't know if it will still be there."

***

next part will be the last in this story. Probably not the last in the series. ::sigh:: 

I'd like to predict that it will be out in the next two weeks, but no promises. I can assure you it will be out before June. 

Summer arrives soon, and thus I shall escape school. Will this mean more time? Who knows. 

Thanks for reading, reviewing, etc.


	24. Go Gently

In The Dark  
  
Part Twenty Four: Go Gently...  
  
---  
Standard Disclaimer Thingie: The plot, while heavily borrowed from the original series, belongs mostly to the author. The characters, while slightly altered from the original series, belong mostly to Toei Animation and various other people. Don?t sue, don?t steal. If you do either, you shall face the wrath of Chimeramon.  
  
...  
  
Chimeramon? Oops.   
---  
  
For the last two days, Chimeramon had raged about the desert, setting anything that lived on fire and burning the rotting corpses. The smell of death and burnt flesh hung in the air, thick in the oppressive heat.  
  
Sandstorms raged constantly outside the protected tower, even shielded as it was. The guard-slaves were battered with sand. Seventeen Airdramon, six Monochromon, and twenty Tyrannomon were lost trying to destroy Chimeramon.  
  
The Kaiser was furious.  
  
Wormmon had dared not come within a kick?s distance of his master since the news of Chimeramon?s return had reached the base. He hid under available furniture and listened at doorways to hear what he wished to know. Ken paid no attention to him ? did not seek him out to shout at him or give him an order.  
  
The tiny green caterpillar digimon crept down to the polished basement where the slaves had been kept. No longer did his master send them out to fight for his amusement, nor did he keep many within these dungeon walls. Most of the captives had been sent to fight the monster or to guard the tower?s walls. It was silent as always, only his feet clicking across the polished floor.  
  
At the end of the hall of locked doors was another locked door, and Wormmon halted here, staring upward at the thick iron handle. He was silent, thinking, alone with his thoughts, wondering why he had never noticed this doorway before. For some reason that he could never quite explain, the presence of this door gave him hope.  
  
Hope.  
  
A feeling that Wormmon had scarcely dared to feel since the first leaves of autumn had fallen from the trees. He leaned against the door, wondering what could be behind it to cause him to feel this way. He took a few steps back and looked up at the polished wood. It was only a door, he reminded himself, and nothing more.  
  
Only a door.  
  
The six tiny legs clattered down the polished stone floors again, leaving behind the hallway and the door at the end of it.  
  
---  
  
The sun began to rise again over the desert and the hidden oasis, but this time there was one fewer creature asleep within. Daisuke stood at the edge of the stream, listening to the silence of the night. There was no sound of battle, but that did not mean that the fighting had stopped.  
  
The entirety of the previous day and part of the night had been spent in argument and discussion. Should the Chosen seek out the Kaiser?s hidden base and take advantage of the possibility that it might not be as well guarded as before? Or should they do their best to return back to the village until the monster had gone?  
  
No conclusion had been reached, but Daisuke knew that the time to act was slipping away. There was little hope that Ken?s forces would be able to defeat the monster on their own ? they?d had little success so far ? and if it continued its rampage unchecked, then before long every creature in the desert would be destroyed, living or dead, master or enslaved. His mind was made up, and he knew there was no time to convince the others.  
  
He would need to act quickly, and he would need to act now, before the others awoke to stop him. He slipped on a pair of boots and borrowed Takeru?s cloak to shield him from the sun as well as the cold. The blond boy stirred softly, but didn?t awake.  
  
I?ll return it, Daisuke promised silently. He lifted his still-sleeping partner in his arms and disappeared into the dawn. He had no need for Miyako?s spells to show him the way, he could feel it within his blood, drawing him to his destination. He was long gone before the others awoke seeking breakfast, and it was another hour before they noticed he had gone and thought to follow him.  
  
---  
  
There were varying degrees of reactions from the other Chosen, but none were surprised. Miyako shouted a bit and then grumbled under her breath; Hikari simply sighed and rubbed her eyes.  
  
?Is he crazy?? Takeru wondered, scratching his head. ?He hasn?t got a clue where to go, and he can?t expect to defeat the monster by himself.?  
  
?Maybe he is crazy,? Iori conceded. ?I think, however, that he needs to do something, no matter how futile it may be.? The youngest Chosen frowned in thought for a moment. He had been in agreement with Daisuke the evening before ? that something, however little or useless, must be done, and done soon.  
  
---  
  
V-mon awoke after a half-hour of walking, also not surprised to find that his partner had taken action. He looked around him for a few moments and then asked, ?Do we have any food??  
  
Startled by the voice from nowhere, Daisuke stopped dead in his tracks and then looked down at his partner. Suddenly, he found something, he wasn?t sure what, amusing, and laughed. It was a few moments before he recovered, and then he set his pack down and gave the blue digimon a few of the rations that he carried. He didn?t bother eating, but he did drink a long gulp of water from the canteen.  
  
?Where are we going?? V-mon asked when he had eaten his fill and had some water. He stood and followed his partner.  
  
?North,? the boy replied, certainty in his voice. ?Ken?s base will be where the desert meets the snow.?  
  
?Where the desert meets the snow...?? V-mon echoed. ?Is it far??  
  
?Probably,? Daisuke answered, a wry grin on his face now. ?I expect it will take most of the day to reach.?  
  
---  
  
?We gave him enough of a head start,? Takeru sighed when all had been packed or disposed of and they were ready to set out. ?Let?s hope we can find him.?  
  
?He wouldn?t be daft enough to leave tracks behind, would he?? Miyako asked.  
  
?If he did, the shifting sands would have erased them some time ago,? Iori answered. ?Can anyone read anything on their digivices? I can?t.?  
  
Hikari shook her head. ?I can?t, either. He must be too far away by now. Which way do we go, then??  
  
Seven pairs of eyes turned toward Miyako.  
  
---  
  
The sentries at the tower had been ordered to search for Chimeramon, to be alert of his presence, but little else. They hadn?t expected to see a lone Chosen and his partner head directly for the tower from the desert side.  
  
In truth, only one of the creatures that inhabited the tower noticed Daisuke?s approach, and that was a tiny green caterpillar. He spotted the figure amidst the endless pale sands, but alerted no one of his arrival.  
  
If he had, he wasn?t certain his master would have cared much. The Kaiser was more preoccupied with Chimeramon, who was engaged in battle with six Tyrannomon and two Airdramon some distance to the south. He held no illusions that they would be successful in controlling the monster ? Chimeramon was his creation, and he knew that nothing short of a miracle would halt his advance. Still, he had to try, at least, to keep the monster away from the tower until he?d finished his next creation ? a binding that would be powerful enough to enslave the Chimeramon as the rings and spirals had not yet done.  
  
Instead, Wormmon hid amidst the shadows, invisible as was possible. He slept little, and when he did, his dreams were filled with the door at the end of the corridor ? the door that had given him hope. The door opened and a bright white light filled the hall. Then he would awake, in darkness still.  
  
---  
  
?Well, we haven?t been attacked yet,? Daisuke observed. ?Is it luck??  
  
V-mon peered up at him from the sandy ground. ?Extraordinary luck, if that?s true.?  
  
He nodded, a strange grin on his face. ?My luck?s not that good,? Daisuke agreed. ?Do you think perhaps the Kaiser has decided to be polite??  
  
?Maybe he?s not at home right now,? the digimon suggested.  
  
?Ah. That?s possible. So much to do, so little time.? He squinted through sweat-filled eyes toward the structure in the distance. ?A break for mid- day meal, maybe?? he suggested, sitting down hard in the sand and seeking some more water from his pack.  
  
V-mon was never one to turn down food. He agreed, helping his partner devour another portion of the rations, careful to not eat too much, as they had little and there was little chance of replenishing the food. ?We might arrive sooner if I evolved,? he suggested.  
  
?That?s true.? Daisuke pushed back the hood of Takeru?s cloak and wiped his brow. Even with the protection from the sun, the heat was intense and his skin still felt raw and sore. ?But no, save your energy for the battles to come. I?m sure there will be a few.?  
  
A light breeze danced across the wasteland, throwing the sand into the air. V-mon noticed it a second after his partner. ?A storm coming?? he asked.  
  
?I can?t be so lucky as to travel in the desert for one day without one. Come here, it won?t be long now.?  
  
The wind blew steadily after a moment, and then with a ferocity. Daisuke pulled the pack of rations and his partner close to his chest and pulled Takeru?s cloak around them all. Then he hunched over in the sand, shutting his eyes and mouth.  
  
---  
  
Even from around the corner, Wormmon could hear his master?s shouts.  
  
?Another blasted sandstorm!? There was a click of heels on the stone floor, and he knew he was whirling to face the north. ?And on the other side, a blizzard! I know it?s too much to ask that the weather cooperate, but my own servants??  
  
Cautiously, the tiny caterpillar peered around the bend in the wall. A row of Mushmon stood, fearfully awaiting sentence. The Kaiser was cruel to his slaves, and when they displeased him, he made certain they were aware of it. When they were sent on duties, their red eyes remembered nothing, made no decisions on their own, but when they were scolded, they recalled it all. Thus, it was only the pain they would remember.  
  
?Sorry,? one of the digimon whispered meekly, which was, Wormmon knew, precisely the wrong thing to say in these situations.  
  
?Out of my sight!? the Kaiser bellowed, overcome suddenly with such rage he could barely speak. A few Geckomon, eyes glowing red, led the offending group out.  
  
There was a long silence when the Kaiser was left alone. He did not speak, and Wormmon did not expect him to. He rarely felt the need to explain his thoughts to those beneath him. Even when he was alone, he did his planning, his thinking, in silence.  
  
?What do you want?? he demanded, but it was with less ferocity than before.  
  
Wormmon hesitated, saw no one else about, and then anxiously crept into the room. ?I just thought you should know ? ,? he began.  
  
?Anything that I should know I already know,? the Kaiser snapped. ?Nothing you have to tell me could be in the least bit useful.?  
  
?Yes,? Wormmon said, agreeing. ?But, Ken - .?  
  
He whirled away from the window, and now his own eyes were red. ?What have I told you?? he asked, a voice ragged with anger, sleeplessness, hopelessness. ?Never use that name in my presence.?  
  
?Sorry, Master,? Wormmon answered. His whole body was quivering now.  
  
In a flash, the energy was gone from his Master?s voice. Slowly, he sank down into a chair, two fingers pressed against his temple, in the grips of a massive headache. ?Leave me be,? he said, his voice like a plea. ?Just go ? away.?  
  
Wormmon was not likely to do anything of the sort. The voice he?d heard then was not the Kaiser?s, but the voice of his partner. The first time he had heard such a voice in many weeks. Hesitantly, he stepped forward. ?Ken??  
  
The moment passed, and Ken was gone. ?What do you want?? was the snapped reply.  
  
?I ? nothing, Master,? Wormmon answered, slowly scuttling away. ---  
  
The storm raged for a full half-hour, during which Daisuke was nearly certain he was drowning. When he thought he could take no more of the pummeling, the wind suddenly shifted, and the storm ceased.  
  
?It?s ended?? V-mon asked. ?Our luck has changed!?  
  
Daisuke brushed the sand from his hair and scalp. ?Maybe,? he said. ?Maybe not. We still have far to travel, and we just lost some time.? He pushed the hood back from his head and squinted in the sunlight toward the blurb on the horizon he was certain was their destination.  
  
---  
  
?We won?t reach him before the sun sets,? Miyako said with certainty. ?Even if we fly. I don?t know if he will reach where he?s going before then. I still cannot see his destination.?  
  
?I don?t understand how that?s possible,? Takeru said. ?Daisuke knows where it is, and you don?t??  
  
The young mage shook her head, as befuddled as he. ?I don?t know, either.?  
  
?Should we go, then?? Hawkmon asked. ?If we?re going to reach him before nightfall, then we?d best leave now. It?s already past noon.?  
  
There was a short silence, and then Hikari answered. ?Yes, let?s go, and let?s hurry.?  
  
---  
  
Takeru?s cloak had another purpose, Daisuke discovered. The sun was beginning to sink, and there was far to travel, and now the cloak served to warm him as well. He continued walking, trekking through the seemingly endless sands, the cloak wrapped around him, and V-mon in his arms once more, safe within the folds of protection.  
  
They?d seen no life save a few meager cacti, and no digimon at all but a few skeletons. In the distance, they could once again hear the monster?s screams, and the calls of whatever digimon had been sent out to fight it.  
  
?If Ken created that monster, then why would he send the Airdramon after it?? V-mon asked.  
  
?He can?t control it any longer,? Daisuke explained. ?If he doesn?t send the Airdramon after it, it?ll destroy anything, I?d guess.?  
  
?And more,? said a third voice.  
  
?And more,? Daisuke agreed. It took his tired brain a moment before he realized that this voice was not of his partner. ?Who?s there??  
  
?You?re lucky you haven?t been spotted, you haven?t been fried, and you haven?t been buried in sand,? the voice continued. ?I doubt you will be lucky enough to survive the cold night with only that cloak.?  
  
In the slowly dimming light, Daisuke spotted the creature that had spoken. It was a tiny green creature, nearly hidden beneath the sands, taking shelter behind a cactus. ?Wormmon??  
  
The digimon sighed. ?Hello.?  
  
There was a long moment of silence, as neither Daisuke nor V-mon could think of anything appropriate to say. Wormmon sighed again. ?Follow me, then,? he said, and headed away.  
  
?Ah...to where?? Daisuke questioned, though he knew the answer.  
  
---  
  
It was evening and the light was nearly gone when they reached the tower. Wormmon had led them behind cacti and through the sands in confusing directions, but they?d arrived.  
  
?You shouldn?t come in,? Wormmon warned. ?But I?m sure you will.?  
  
Daisuke laughed. ?Well, yes, that?s why I came all the way across the desert!?  
  
?I know,? Wormmon answered, sighing once more. ?Be careful.? Then, before any more could be said, he was gone.  
  
On the top of the tower were sentries, scanning the skies but not the ground. Slowly, Daisuke pressed himself against the cold stones and slipped as quietly possible along desert side of the building. He wondered if he need bother. The guards never once glanced in his direction.  
  
There didn?t seem to be any sort of entrance on the desert side of the tower. Wormmon had explained that the main gates were along the northern side, but he couldn?t be certain of how else to enter.  
  
?I go my own way,? he?d said. ?I do my best to keep out of the way. Sneaking another in or out ? I?ve never done it before. The place is very strange, really. Sometimes you will find doors that you never saw before.?  
  
?Was it built with magic?? V-mon had questioned, but the caterpillar didn?t know.  
  
?It was here. Ken didn?t build it, and I don?t know who did or how.?  
  
They?d traveled a good distance before sitting to rest. Daisuke shook his head. ?I don?t know, V-mon. Maybe we should just walk up to the front gates and announce ourselves. There?s no way in on this side.?  
  
?Well, if there?s no other ?,? V-mon began, but then stopped, gone from sight and hearing.  
  
---  
  
Miyako had been right ? there was no chance of reaching Daisuke before sunset. It was dark, and although she was certain they?d headed in the right direction, he was no where to be seen. Only extensive sands and a few scattered cacti.  
  
They?d set down shortly before sunset and had wisely decided to wait until morning to resume their search. It was cold, and there was no wood to be found.  
  
?There are no trees,? Hawkmon noted glumly. ?There is no campfire.?  
  
?And that means no way to cook dinner,? Armadimon agreed, groaning.  
  
Takeru had been scanning the horizon for signs of anything. ?No, no trees,? he agreed. Only cacti, and not many of them, either.?  
  
?Will cacti burn?? Iori questioned. There was a long moment of silence.  
  
?It?s worth a try,? Patamon stated optimistically.  
  
---  
  
?V-mon? Where are you?? Daisuke whispered rather than shout as instinct told him to. There was no response, of course, and he was now alone in the increasing darkness. He groped about for a moment, searching for some sort of a gap in the wall ? a secret lever that his partner had perhaps activated, and then felt his feet slip out from under him. He sat down, hard, and then slid downward rapidly.  
  
It took him a moment to realize that he was sliding, feet first, through a chute. He could feel the coolness of the metal with his hands, but try as he might to brace himself or slow his progress, the smooth material simply went on propelling him forward through complete darkness.  
  
Obviously, he was heading underground, beneath the tower. The air felt cooler around him. The journey then came to an abrupt end, and Daisuke felt his knees collide with a cold stone floor.  
  
After spending a moment to mentally check for hurts or pains and discovering nothing major, Daisuke pulled himself to his feet and tried to look around him and saw nothing but darkness.  
  
?V-mon?? he whispered into the silence. His words were swallowed. There was no echo.  
  
There was a clicking sound in the distance. Daisuke listened, wondering if he ought to hide, but not knowing where to hide if such were the case. He stood still and silent and tried to make as little noise breathing as was humanly possible.  
  
?Well, you?ve made it. Home sweet home, I suppose,? said a voice, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Wormmon was at his feet, a small but brightly burning candlestick beside him that he?d somehow managed to carry with him.  
  
In order to recover from the shock, Daisuke sat down on the floor ? there was no other place to sit. He took deep breaths to calm himself, and had just managed to do so when another voice interrupted his thoughts from behind him, startling him again.  
  
?Not much of a home,? V-mon commented, looking around him. ?You don?t live here, really, do you??  
  
?Not in this part,? Wormmon answered. ?No one really comes down here. You?ll be safe for the night. Stay down here and be quiet and you won?t be found.? He started to walk away, the steady clicking of his feet echoing in the silence.  
  
?Wait ? until morning? What do we do then?? Daisuke called after him.  
  
?I don?t know,? the caterpillar?s voice floated back in response. ?You?re the one that decided to come here.?  
  
?He?s right, you know,? V-mon pointed out.  
  
?Yeah. I never think these things through, do I?? Daisuke looked around him again now that the candlelight had improved the visibility.  
  
They were in a rather large room ? at least it seemed large in the narrow range of the candlelight. The floor beneath them was cold gray stone, unswept in many years and so covered with a thin layer of dust and dirt. The walls were made of the same stone. There were no windows, which was expected as the room was below ground. There was no exit that could be viewed with the candle?s assistance.  
  
The most striking feature about the room was the things within it which included (aside from the two unnoticed visitors) many shelves of books lining the walls and many wooden boxes covering the floor. Some of them were open and appeared to contain strange metallic items that Daisuke couldn?t begin to guess the function of.  
  
It was the boxes which first attracted him ? not being a very avid reader. He began to rummage through one of the crates and discovered many metal pipes.  
  
?What do you think these do?? he wondered aloud, not expecting a response.  
  
?I should guess they were once used for plumbing,? V-mon returned dryly, searching through another box. He found a few gears and some other odd mechanical objects. ?Koushiro would have a lot of fun in this room ? all the books and all the funny gadgets.? He picked up an odd instrument and stared at it for a few moments, trying to determine its use. When he couldn?t, he tossed it aside.  
  
?No weapons, nothing of real use,? Daisuke muttered to himself, tossing a few more pipes of varying thicknesses and a few wires. He sighed and gave up on the boxes. ?I wonder if the books are of any help.?  
  
?Can?t be any less helpful than this stuff.? V-mon was examining another strange contraption which involved a few wires on spring attached to a metal box. He watched the wires bounce around for a few moments before tossing it aside.  
  
?Oh, the books will be of great help to you one day,? said a low voice, and both the boy and his partner turned to see another figure emerge from the shadows at the edge of the candlelight.  
  
?Who are you?? Daisuke questioned.  
  
The other spoke with a deep voice that sounded oddly familiar and strange at the same time. ?That?s not for you to know. Not yet.?  
  
?Then when?? V-mon asked.  
  
?Why are you here?? Daisuke wanted to know.  
  
?One could ask the same of you, boy,? the other returned, a sharp tone of voice. He stepped out of the shadows, clad in a black robe. No part of its face or hands was visible. It was unclear if the creature were a human or a digimon.  
  
?I?ve come to end this battle ? this war,? Daisuke replied. ?I?ve come to free the slaves and finish this because I want to go home.?  
  
The robed figure seemed satisfied with the response. Its head bobbed up and down. It walked slowly past them toward the nearest bookshelf. It made no move to grab a book, but one slowly floated off the shelf.  
  
Having seen enough levitation magic himself to be not entirely surprised, Daisuke merely watched as the volume in question floated towards him and then opened. The pages flipped rapidly and then came to a stop on a page. ?This particular prophecy will be of great help to you in the future. It would be beneficial for you to recall it.?  
  
He squinted at the small type on the page and then read: ?The...six day resurrection and the child of light??  
  
?When you return home you ought ask someone about it,? the figure remarked casually. ?I doubt any of the palace wizards would know of it, for none of them dabble in dark magic. Still, take this book with you as proof.?  
  
?I don?t understand. What does this have to do with ? ,?  
  
?It has nothing to do with anything at the moment,? the figure interrupted sharply. ?You?re not meant to understand it. That?s why it?s a prophecy. I?m giving this to you as a gift because you?ll need it in the future. If you are so ungrateful as to question my motives....?  
  
?No, no, not ungrateful. I just don?t understand why you?re telling me this.? The book slowly sank into Daisuke?s waiting hands, still opened to the same page.  
  
?You will understand eventually. Don?t make me regret this.?  
  
There was a flash of fire that appeared from nowhere and then disappeared just as rapidly. When it had died, the figure was gone, and there was only the candlelight remaining.  
  
###  
  
The cacti had burned a bright, hot fire through the night, but with the arrival of the sun it had long since died. Miyako had been left on the last watch, but her exhaustion had conquered her determination and vigilance, and she slept along with the others.  
  
The sun was not fully risen, and the light was still dim when Hikari awoke. The night chill had not yet departed, and she sat for a moment, shivering in the cool morning air.  
  
It was not the cold which made her shiver, but she could not name what had.  
  
She couldn?t return to sleep, so she sat for a moment, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself and trying to recall anything she might have dreamt.  
  
---  
  
The candle had died, but from somewhere a light was peeking into the basement room and shining directly on the eyes of the sleeping body on the floor. He rubbed at them for a moment and then turned over, but this caused him to turn directly onto a sharp piece of metal.  
  
Daisuke sat up, rubbing at the offended area of his back and muttering to himself under his breath. Now fully awake, he decided to abandon all attempts at further sleep.  
  
---  
  
There was much distance to travel and much to do, and so, after waiting until the sun had fully risen, Hikari awoke the others and urged them to eat quickly. It would not be wise to sleep unprotected under the harsh desert sun.  
  
Breakfast was eaten hurriedly, without the use of a cooking fire. Each took a few sips of the remaining water, and then the camp was demolished. Less than an hour later, they were ready to resume their trek across the harsh sands.  
  
---  
  
The basement hiding place wasn?t much more inviting in the morning. A single sunbeam poked through a section of the wall where the building stones had broken near the ground.  
  
There was only a small amount of rations left over from the evening before, and these served as the morning meal. Daisuke drank half his remaining water and let V-mon have the rest. Then he wrapped himself in Takeru?s dark cloak, strapped his pack to his back ? heavier now with the addition of the book, but lighter with the subtraction of the food and water ? and searched for an exit from the basement.  
  
There was no door, but at one side of the room a tiny, ramshackle, wooden staircase rose toward the upper levels. Daisuke cautiously tested the first step before slowly ascending. It held his weight, but creaked loudly, and he hoped it would not attract attention.  
  
There was no door at the top of the climb, either, only a doorway. As quietly as possible, Daisuke crept toward the edge of the doorway and peered around.  
  
Beyond the doorway was a hallway, lined on each side with heavy doors, wooden monstrosities edged with iron and sealed shut with iron locks and bolts. The floor was stone as it was below, but here it had, by some force ? perhaps of magic ? been made smooth and shiny. It was empty of anything living or dead, and there was no sound.  
  
For some reason, the very existence of the doors in this hallway sent a shiver down the spine of the human intruder. Seeing nothing, Daisuke left the relative safety of the doorway and ventured into the hall. In the silence, his footsteps sounded loud to his ears.  
  
?What is this place?? V-mon asked, and although he whispered, the silence made his voice sound louder than usual.  
  
Daisuke shook his head. ?Nothing, now. Everything?s gone.? He turned, looking up, then down the hall.  
  
?All right. What was it before?? his partner tried asking. ?Daisuke??  
  
He?d turned and headed down the hall, quicker than before, head tilted to one side as though he was listening to some unheard summons. V-mon hurried quickly to catch up with him.  
  
?A dungeon, I think,? Daisuke answered while he walked. ?The heavy locks, the doors...I think this is where the slaves were kept. There are none left now, though, they?re all needed elsewhere, to defend this place.?  
  
?Where are we going??  
  
At the end of the hall there was another door, but this one was made of only metal. ?I wonder what?s behind this,? Daisuke mumbled to himself.  
  
?Probably something dangerous,? V-mon replied. ?Let?s go.?  
  
?Probably something important,? Daisuke returned. ?I want to know. I want to see it.? He stepped forward and put his hand on the thick iron handle.  
  
?It?s probably locked,? V-mon sighed.  
  
The handle turned and the faint sound of metal grating could be heard.  
  
---  
  
By noon, they?d traveled some distance and stopped for a rest, which was very much needed as they?d walked all morning.  
  
There was no shade to be found, but they rested in a low valley of sand where they might be more inconspicuous.  
  
While the others rested their feet and drank tiny sips of water to cool their thirst, Miyako climbed the side of the nearest dune and scanned the horizon as far as she could see. Hawkmon took to the air, flying as high as he could overhead. When he had searched in all directions, he returned to the ground once more. He said nothing, only shook his head in slight bewilderment.  
  
Miyako sighed as well, nodding, for she hadn?t expected to find anything. She shut her eyes and gathered the wind to her for the second time that day.  
  
---  
  
The door creaked open, and for a moment Daisuke could see nothing but total darkness. He wished he had thought to bring a lantern with him on his trek, or at least some candles.  
  
?Baby flame,? said a harsh voice, and ball of fire lit the room. After a moment, the darkness grew thinner, and a torch was lit. A small Agumon stood, his face half shrouded in the dark. ?Baby flame,? it said again, and another torch came alive, this on the other side of him. Two other small figures ? Gazimon ? became visible behind the Agumon ? they were holding the torches in their paws.  
  
All three of them had glowing red eyes, sharp against the darkness.  
  
?None may enter,? the Gazimon stated in unison.  
  
?We must guard the power source,? the Agumon agreed.  
  
?Power source?? V-mon echoed. ?What power source?? They did not answer.  
  
?V-mon,? Daisuke whispered, turning away from the guards. ?If we destroy whatever this power source is....?  
  
?Then perhaps the slaves will be freed?? V-mon finished. ?Maybe. But what is this power source? And what does it power??  
  
?I don?t know,? he answered honestly. ?But I have this feeling that destroying something that they,? he gestured toward the guards, ?don?t want us to destroy has got to be good for us, right??  
  
The blue digimon considered this for a moment, thinking carefully. ?Let?s do it.?  
  
---  
  
The wind had grown considerably in strength up higher on the dunes, but in the protected valley they were mostly safe from the vicious sands.  
  
Takeru watched Miyako from his safe spot on the ground. ?It?s amazing, I think,? he said after a few moments.  
  
Iori, seated beside him on a boulder that peeked out above the sand, agreed. ?She?s progressed so much, it?s hard to imagine that just a short while ago she could do so little, and now this.?  
  
?I have never been so pleased to be so near to the ground,? Armadimon stated, watching the sand as it whipped around at high speeds overhead.  
  
?I think it?s slowing now,? Patamon noted. As he spoke, the sand seemed to slow, and then dropped to the ground in a shower of tiny granules.  
  
?Did you see anything?? Hikari called up the side of the slope.  
  
?Not much to report,? Miyako replied once she had descended to the lower ground. ?I can sense where he traveled, but the trail?s worn thin. He?s already there, wherever he is.?  
  
Hikari frowned, but didn?t appear surprised by this information. She was silent for a while, thinking.  
  
?What do we do now, then?? Iori wondered. ?Ought we to keep following, even though we don?t know our destination??  
  
?I wish he?d waited for us,? Takeru grumbled. ?If he knew the way, then why didn?t he just say so? And how could he know the way??  
  
?I don?t think he knew,? Miyako sighed. ?I mean, I don?t think that he knew that he knew, he just started walking and ended up going in the right direction.?  
  
?So you?re saying it was luck?? Patamon questioned in disbelief.  
  
?No, I wouldn?t say it was luck,? she answered. ?More like an instinct, maybe? I don?t know that I understand it any better than he does.?  
  
?Can you follow the trail?? Iori asked.  
  
Miyako sighed. ?It will be difficult, if not nearly impossible, but I think so.?  
  
?Hikari?? Tailmon asked. ?What do you think??  
  
---  
  
?V-mon armor evolve!?  
  
For a moment, a blinding light prevented the Agumon and the two Gazimon from seeing much of anything. Then it faded, and a din of voices clouded the mix.  
  
?Fladramon!?  
  
?Baby Flame!?  
  
?YAAAARGH!?  
  
The last sound was shouted, in unison, by the two Gazimon, who threw themselves into battle with a vicious abandonment, clinging to the evolved digimon?s legs and scratching and clawing at the unprotected portions.  
  
Preoccupied with the Gazimon, Fladramon was barely able to shield himself from the Agumon?s attack, but managed to recover in time. ?Fire Rocket!? he called back, and blasted the Agumon. It was thrown back by the force of the attack, colliding harshly with the stone wall and deleting.  
  
?Get...off,? Daisuke grunted. He?d latched on to one of the Gazimon and was pulling with all his might, trying to detach the grey, long-eared creature.  
  
His partner took a more direct ? and violent ? approach to removing the other creature. ?Knuckle Fire!? His fist now a flaming fireball, Fladramon scored a direct hit on the offending digimon, knocking him to the ground. It shook its head, long ears flapping, and managed to recover enough to stand ? just in time for another well timed ?Fire Rocket? to serve him the same fate that the Agumon had found.  
  
Daisuke meanwhile, had managed to detach the other Gazimon, causing both himself and the creature to fall backwards into the cold stone floor. ?Go ?way!? the digimon shouted, sneering viciously. It lashed out with one of its paws, but Daisuke blocked it with his arm before the blow could reach his face.  
  
Fladramon was taking aim for another attack when a loud screech stopped all three of the combatants. The building itself shook violently and small pieces of gravel rained down from the ceiling above.  
  
?I don?t like the sound of that,? Daisuke said.  
  
?You won?t like the sound of this, either,? the Gazimon sneered. ?Paralyze Breath!? It had opened its mouth to deliver the attack when the screech echoed again and the building shook once more. The ground shook, and the ceiling even more violently. Daisuke released his hold on the Gazimon, instinctively backing away. More stones fell down from the ceiling. The Gazimon delivered the attack, but it met only the stones, to which it did no harm.  
  
Fladramon took advantage of the separation. ?Fire Rocket!? he called, deleting the Gazimon before it could attack again. ?We?d better get out of here,? he warned.  
  
Another violent shake rocked the building. ?I don?t understand,? Daisuke called over the noise. ?What were they guarding??  
  
They looked around the empty room, but it appeared to be devoid of anything of value. A short distance away, though, was another staircase leading down. ?I?m not sure that it?s wise. I think this building may be collapsing,? Fladramon warned.  
  
Before Daisuke could open his mouth to add his own thoughts on the matter, the building shook once more, and even more debris rained down from the ceiling overhead. A loud, distinctive shriek filled their ears, and then a hole appeared in the level above them and a monstrous face glared at them, hungrily.  
  
For a moment, time stood still. Daisuke stared at the fearsome monster, and the monster stared back. Neither moved.  
  
Then the monster opened its teeth-filled mouth. The temperature rose. Daisuke regained control of his senses and dashed as fast as he could toward the stairway he?d just noticed. Fladramon paused long enough to blast a ?Fire Rocket? toward the creature?s eyes.  
  
Another screech signaled the monster?s attack, and the room filled with fire. Daisuke nearly flew down the stairs, diving below the level of the floor just before the flames reached where he had once stood. There was a moment of tense silence, and then a shout could be heard.  
  
From the opening at the top of the stairs came a tiny blue blur that launched itself into Daisuke?s arms.  
  
---  
  
?If we wait,? Hikari answered slowly, ?the answer will become clear.?  
  
There was a confused silence following this statement, but it didn?t last long. In the distance they could hear a familiar shriek of rage, and though it was far off, it could be heard from far away.  
  
?It?s returned!? Takeru realized first. ?Where is it?? He scrambled up the side of the tall dune, sending sand flying about. He scanned the horizon, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. ?I can?t see it.?  
  
The others followed him at a slightly more subdued pace. ?We need to follow it,? Hikari said, still speaking in the same tone of voice ? slow and thoughtful, as though recalling a dream.  
  
?Of course,? Iori nodded. ?If the monster wants to make its way to Ken, and that?s where Daisuke is, then following the monster will lead us to Daisuke.?  
  
---  
  
?Chibimon?!? Daisuke asked in disbelief, but the tiny blue digimon shook its head, gesturing for silence. Again they heard the angry shriek, and again the building shook. There was a moment of silence and then the noises repeated themselves, but sounded further away. Both Daisuke and his partner breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
?That thing?s powerful, whatever it is,? Chibimon reported when they were certain they were safe from the monster?s attack. ?I?m not sure all the Chosen together could defeat it.?  
  
Daisuke sighed dejectedly, but was not surprised at the information. ?I knew it was too strong for us to take on, but what is there to do?? he wondered. ?And now what? To come all this way and have accomplished nothing? That monster will destroy this whole building, and us and Ken inside it, unless we find a way to stop it. There?s got to be a way.?  
  
?Do you see that light?? Chibimon asked.  
  
For the first time, Daisuke turned to see his new surroundings. This room was wide and long, but with a low ceiling and no other exit besides the one they?d come through. In the center was a metal pole, and in the center of that was a glass case.  
  
The light was coming from inside the glass case.  
  
---  
  
Wormmon was concerned, the slaves were confused and frightened, and the Kaiser was angry.  
  
Even angrier than usual.  
  
The stone tower, which stood where the desert met the snow and had stood for countless generations, was falling to pieces. Chimeramon?s screeching was continuous, his fire blasts constant, and he rammed into the building, destroying walls and generally greatly compromising the structural integrity.  
  
At first, the Kaiser met these attacks with the expected response from such a despot: he shouted and he ordered his slaves about. With dwindling forces, he sent the slaves to attack the invading monster and each time they were defeated ? either deleted outright or accidentally freed, at which point they simply ran away as quickly as possible. Or flew, if they were so able.  
  
After some time, though, it became increasingly obvious that the defensive options were not having much effect. This caused the Kaiser to react with even more shouting.  
  
Wormmon had wisely stayed out of the way.  
  
Now though, hidden beneath a chair, Wormmon noticed the same pained expression come over his Master?s face as had appeared earlier. This time, however, the pain seemed to be even greater. He clutched his head in both hands and tried to sit down in a chair, but missed and instead sank to his knees on the floor.  
  
For a few minutes he groaned and moaned, and then mumbled, so quietly that Wormmon had to strain to hear him: ?No, go away and leave me be.?  
  
?Ken?? the small caterpillar ventured to ask.  
  
A pained cry escaped his Master then, and Wormmon felt his spine tingle with fear.  
  
Then, it was all over.  
  
?What is it?? the boy questioned, his voice somewhere between exhaustion, pain, and controlled anger.  
  
Wormmon hesitated, hating to bother him for nothing. ?I ? I could fight it, you know.?  
  
The Kaiser had returned in full. ?You?? he scoffed, cackling with amusement. ?I have no time for jokes, runt. Be gone.?  
  
---  
  
?What is that?? Daisuke wondered, stepping closer to the light. He raised one arm to shield his face.  
  
Chibimon leapt from his arms and took another few steps toward the glass case. ?Whoa!? he said suddenly, and the light grew even brighter. A moment later, V-mon had reappeared.  
  
?How did that happen?? Daisuke questioned, astonished.  
  
?I think that whatever that light is, it?s powerful,? his partner answered. ?Maybe it?s what we?re looking for.?  
  
?I hope so.? Daisuke walked slowly closer to the glass, still shielding his face with one hand. The closer he stepped, the more intense the glowing became. By the time he had reached the source, he had shut his eyes defensively. He reached out blindly, groping along the smooth glass, searching for an entry. He felt it move beneath his fingers, and squinted to see it move upwards, opening for him. He reached in, and his fingers met a warm, smooth object.  
  
?Can you get it?? V-mon asked, eyes squeezed shut.  
  
?I?ve got it,? he answered, and slowly removed the item from the glass case. The light dimmed slightly without the glass to reflect it, and he opened his eyes wider. ?I don?t know what it is, though.?  
  
V-mon opened his eyes a crack and squinted at the object. ?It looks sort of like a digimental,? he commented.  
  
?So it does,? Daisuke observed. He grinned widely and then held the object away from him. ?Let?s try it then. Digimental up!?  
  
---  
  
They?d been walking for a few moments, debating whether or not to evolve and fly to their destination, when another loud screech broke the desert silence. In distance, a violent sandstorm could be seen, and behind the flying sands was visible a tower built of stone.  
  
A beacon of light suddenly rose directly out of the center of the tower and the storm. The winds parted and the sands stopped flying. Following the light was a strange creature none of them had ever seen before. It appeared to be glowing, as though the light was coming from it. It was surrounded in a golden-colored armor, and when it shouted out its name, they could hear it, even across the distance of the desert.  
  
?Magnamon!?  
  
For a moment, the travelers stood in confused wonderment and the sight they saw. It was Hikari who broke the silence.  
  
?That?s what I was waiting for,? she explained. ?Let?s go. Digimental up!?  
  
---  
  
The side of the stone tower was now completely destroyed. The only exit from the wide, low-ceilinged room was to head upward or to head out the side of the tower.  
  
Daisuke charged up the rickety flight of stairs and back through the room where he and Fladramon had defeated the Gazimon and the Agumon. He stepped nimbly around the piles of rubble and entered the connecting, smoothly polished corridor.  
  
At the end of the corridor was another flight upwards. He ran on, knowing his destination would probably be the top floor.  
  
---  
  
Wormmon stared out the window with a faint glimmer of hope and confusion, an expression that was, amazingly enough, mirrored on the Kaiser?s own face.  
  
Amazingly, Magnamon appeared to be defeating Chimeramon ? or at least damaging it much worse than any previous combatant had been able to. Punch after powerful punch was thrown into the monster, each fist a glowing blur. The light coming from the powerful digimon was blinding.  
  
Chimeramon screeched with rage, more rage than ever before, because now he was hurt and feeling actual pain. The monster opened its mouth and let loose its fiery breath, but Magnamon appeared unharmed. The glowing aura that surrounded it absorbed and diverted the flames.  
  
Chimeramon was made with the parts of different digimon, and its breath was not its only attack. It also had powerful claws and legs, and it struck out with these now, the sharp claws clanking noisily against Magnamon?s seemingly impenetrable armor. It screeched again with frustrated rage and opened its mouth once more. Magnamon darted swiftly out of the way and the fireball crashed violently into the side of the tower.  
  
---  
  
The wall collapsed under the force of Chimeramon?s attack. Daisuke had to stop his hurried climb up the stairs to shield himself from the falling debris. ?Watch it!? he called, peering out of the side. Neither of the fighters paid him much heed, and another fireball collided with tower, this time effectively blocking the stairwell.  
  
Daisuke muttered a curse under his breath, realizing that he wasn?t going to get to the top of the tower that way. He was contemplating jumping down to the ground below when a shout caught his attention.  
  
It was Miyako, calling his name. Aboard Holsmon, the young mage flew as close to the building as possible. ?Jump!? she shouted. ?We?ll catch you, I think.?  
  
It was not the most encouraging of statements, and he was not eager to do so. ?You think?? he retorted.  
  
?All right, fine!? Miyako returned. ?Stay there and die then. Or get on!?  
  
He knew she was right and there wasn?t much choice, and so, after a moment of planning, he took a few running steps and leapt with all his might from the tower. For a brief moment he was flying, hovering in midair, and then the ground came rushing out and he reached with his arms and caught hold of feathers.  
  
Holsmon let out an involuntary screech of pain and was unbalanced for a moment, tilting dangerously to one side. Miyako reached out and clasped the dangling Chosen by his wrists, then pulled with all her might until he was safely aboard. Holsmon righted himself and gently carried them both to safety on the ground a few feet away.  
  
?A note or something before you leave might help, you know,? Miyako scolded him before they?d even set food on the sands. ?You can?t expect us to come back and save your silly self each time you run off thinking you can save the world yourself.?  
  
?And stealing my cloak as well,? Takeru grumbled, arms folded.  
  
?Ah, um...sorry,? Daisuke mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he muttered the apology.  
  
?Look out!? Iori warned.  
  
A giant fireball, launched by Chimeramon, was heading directly for them. Instinctively, all scattered, but it was closing fast. In a flash, Magnamon was between them and the attack, the glowing aura once again negating the power of the fireball.  
  
The aura was weakening, though.  
  
?He needs help,? Miyako observed. ?Go on, Holsmon!?  
  
?We might have a chance against him now,? Takeru noted optimistically. Within moments, the rest of their partners had joined the attack against Chimeramon.  
  
---  
  
Atop the stone tower, the room was shaking violently, and it was all Wormmon could do to make sure he was still attached to the floor and not sent flying. Ken was still staring out the window, tightly clutching the window frame as he watched the battle outside.  
  
?Master, we must leave this tower. It?s falling down around us!? Wormmon called. He ducked under a chair to avoid the pebbles falling overhead.  
  
?Leave? I can?t leave this place. I won?t leave!?  
  
Wormmon stared in complete disbelief. ?If we stay in this place, we?ll be killed!? He made his way back toward the window. ?If they don?t destroy Chimeramon, he?ll destroy you.?  
  
?Nonsense,? the boy replied. ?Chimeramon will destroy the Chosen, they won?t be able to defeat him. And then I shall use him to battle, other, greater foes, and take more land.? He was laughing now, feeling triumphant. Wormmon stared in astonished horror.  
  
---  
  
?I don?t understand it,? Iori noted. ?Even as strong as Magnamon is, he isn?t defeating that monster. He?s doing much better than we did originally, but he?s still not winning.?  
  
?It doesn?t seem to have any weaknesses,? Miyako agreed. ?I wonder if there it?s even possible to destroy it.?  
  
Hikari hadn?t spoken a word since they?d arrived, and she watched the battle with a stoic silence and intense focus. ?He?ll need outside help,? she stated then, so suddenly that the others jumped at her words.  
  
?Outside help from who?? Takeru asked, confused.  
  
---  
  
?No, Master,? Wormmon answered after a moment. ?You won?t. He?ll destroy you, and he?ll destroy everything else in this land.?  
  
For a moment, his Master seemed to understand him. For a moment, his eyes were his own once more, and there was clarity in the world.  
  
Then the moment passed, and it was simply mad eyes staring back at him with confusion and disbelief.  
  
The slaves that had been freed accidentally were retreating from the tower in large hordes, but some had stayed behind to free others, and so the flee of digimon continued, running and flying directly passed the window that Wormmon now peered out of. He waited a moment, watching the fleeing masses and considering something in his mind.  
  
?I?m sorry,? he said, after a long silence had passed and then he leapt off the ledge.  
  
---  
  
?An Airdramon?? Daisuke questioned. ?I don?t ? no, wait!?  
  
Of the fleeing slaves, one Airdramon had broken free of the masses and was making its way toward the battle. Upon closer inspection though, it was possible to see, even from a great distance, that there was a tiny green blurb atop the head of the Airdramon.  
  
?Is that Wormmon?? Miyako wondered.  
  
?I think so,? Takeru answered.  
  
Daisuke ran a few paces toward the battle and shouted up toward the small caterpillar. ?Wormmon, no! You don?t have to do this! I could....?  
  
If Wormmon heard, he didn?t answer.  
  
?No,? Hikari said, shaking her head slowly. ?I don?t think you could.?  
  
The giant Airdramon transported the little green worm as close as possible to the battle, and then Wormmon began to glow. Not a massive, powerful glow as like the one Magnamon had emitted on first appearance, but a little aura of his own.  
  
?I hope this helps,? he stated in a quiet little voice, and Magnamon, seeming to understand the situation entirely, just nodded consolingly. Then, the Airdramon flew closer, and Wormmon leapt from the head of the flying serpent and collided with Chimeramon.  
  
The faint aura the small caterpillar had been giving off slowly faded and hovered in the air for a few moments. Slowly, Magnamon?s own golden aura regained its original strength, and then grew in intensity until anyone trying to see him had to look away lest they lose their sight.  
  
?Extreme Jihad!? Magnamon shouted, and there was a screech of anger and pain from the monster that cut off suddenly as it was deleted.  
  
---  
  
The smoke and sand slowly cleared away, and a figure became visible, dashing across the sandy wasteland.  
  
?Wormmon!?  
  
Chimeramon was gone, the Airdramon had fled, and the freed slaves had vanished. All that stood now in the desert were the Chosen and their partners.  
  
---  
  
He wandered, searching for his partner, and then a tiny voice called out: ?Daisuke! Daisuke!?  
  
A small blue blob a short distance away bounced up and down so that he could be found, and then ceased, too exhausted to continue the movement. ?I?m tired,? he mumbled, yawning.  
  
?Chicomon?? Daisuke asked, his voice a concern. He lifted his partner in his hand. ?I can?t believe you did it.?  
  
?Not by myself,? the little baby digimon answered. ?Wormmon helped. I couldn?t have done it without him.? His voice was tired, as though he was about to fall asleep right then and there.  
  
---  
  
?Wormmon? Wormmon!?  
  
?I?m here, Ken,? the tiny caterpillar responded. And he was, lying in the desert sands and looking quite horrible. ?I?m sorry.? He was glowing, but with a pale glow, not a healthy glow, and then there were shining things floating in the air. Pieces of him.  
  
For a long moment there was silence in the desert. Gently, the boy who had once been Kaiser, once been Ken Ichijouji, and now was neither of the two, lifted the little caterpillar into his arms and cradled him.  
  
?You?re sorry?? he questioned, his voice a soft whisper. ?I caused this. I?m sorry. Don?t go, please.?  
  
?I?m sorry, Ken,? Wormmon answered. ?I don?t want to.? He shut his big blue eyes and sighed out his last breath.  
  
There was nothing more to say, no more words that would be suitable for the occasion. Slowly, the loyal Wormmon disappeared until nothing remained.  
  
There was a long silence, and Ken was alone with his tears and the sand.  
  
---  
  
Daisuke was the one who found him, crouched in the sand over where Wormmon had last been, tears still streaming down his face.  
  
?Ken?? he asked, hesitantly.  
  
He was no longer the Kaiser, none could say that he was, for the things which had made him so were gone, and now he simply looked once more like Ken Ichijouji, a sad young man crying in a desert.  
  
He lifted his head, his hair falling limply around his face, and he met eyes with the one who had once been his friend and once been his enemy, but there was no recognition in his eyes, only a bit of fear and sadness. ?I must go,? he said, though it wasn?t a reply.  
  
?Go where?? asked another voice, and it was Miyako, who had appeared two heartbeats after Daisuke.  
  
?I need to be alone,? he answered, and then he was gone ? as though he?d never been there. ---  
  
The End? Well, of this part anyhow....  
  
To compensate for the fact that this last chapter is much later than I had promised, It?s also longer and (I think) pretty action packed. Wee.  
  
It?s late now and I?m tired, but I?ll try to answer a few questions I think might arise:  
  
Yes, cacti can burn. I looked this up somewhere and they can burn.  
  
Who was the guy that gave Daisuke the book? What was the book? I?m sure some of you can guess as to what the prophecy states and where I want to go with this, but if you haven?t, stay tuned. I will write more of this, even if it takes forever to get it out.  
  
Um... that?s the only questions I can think of. Aside from a few that I won?t bother to mention (what the (!# is this? comes to mind). If you think of any that you simply must have answered, leave a review or send me an email (turquoisecowexcite.com) and I?ll try to get back to you with a semi- coherent reply, and if I don?t, I?ll shove the answer in the first chapter of the next section.  
  
If I still don?t then, email me again, your message might have been eaten or destroyed. ;;  
  
Anywho, thanks for sticking with this story to this point. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, reviewing, and all your support. ::waves:: 


End file.
